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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24559459">The Love Potion Of The Century</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mago_teung/pseuds/mago_teung'>mago_teung</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Haikyuu@Hogwarts [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>1990s, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Awkwardness, Bullying, Childhood Friends, Conflict, Consensual Underage Sex, Cute, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, First Dates, First Kiss, First Love, First Meetings, First Time, Firsts, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Happy Ending, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Magic, Plot, Potions, Quidditch, Relationship(s), Spells &amp; Enchantments, Stupidity, True Love, Truth Spells, Unicorns, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, Werewolves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:33:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>170,469</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24559459</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mago_teung/pseuds/mago_teung</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Wait, give me a sec.  I have 7 brain cells left."<br/>"I bet you 5 galleons professor Takeda and professor Ukai are smashing each other, right now as we speak."<br/>"That Akaashi-san doesn't seem like a Ravenclaw at all.  I was so sure he was in Slytherin."<br/>"Wait, Sugawara is in Slytherin? ... I've been calling him Hufflepuff trash this whole time."<br/>"Guys, I just saw that Slytherin kid Tsukishima and the Hufflepuff Yamaguchi making out at Three Bro-hey, stop laughing!  I'm serious!"<br/>"You think if I turn into an owl I won't have to do the exams?"<br/>"That bitch Oikawa got another love letter.  Thinks he's the shit..."<br/>"Why are you crying?  Stop it."<br/>"With how often Kuroo goes to the Ravenclaw tower, you would think he was one of them.  Kinda sad though, he's stupid."<br/>"I'm telling my daddy about this! ... No, that's my father. I'm pretty sure I said daddy." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A/N - Chaotic Hogwarts AU with Haikyuu that I hope will be fun!  I thought it would be, so I hope someone else will enjoy it too!  (Underage because they're students, but around the same age!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Haikyuu@Hogwarts [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1775155</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>795</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2189</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Behold the Sacred Texts, good stuff (haikyu)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Sugawara</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sugawara Koushi</p><p>5th Year</p><p>Muggle Born </p><p>Slytherin - though no one believed him.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe it was because no one thought he was in Slytherin that made his Slytherin side show.  Or maybe it was thanks to his muggle parents that he was able to have some sort of rage to fuel the Slytherin in him.  Or maybe it was just him - his mischievous ways, that perseverance to be the best, the dedication to make sure that whatever he wanted would be his no matter how hard he worked-</p><p>Nah.  He was pretty sure it was his parents.</p><p>Even though Slytherins were slowly getting more and more half-bloods, being completely muggle born was rare and unheard of.  He remembered the sorting, how many people were shocked when Sugawara was put into Slytherin considering how nice and friendly he’d been on the train to Hogwarts.  He remembered so many people mistaking him for Hufflepuff and becoming friends with him, only to be shunned once they found out he was a Slytherin.  He remembered proudly saying his parents were both muggles, the amount of dirty looks it earned and how it only made matters worse when he didn't understand why.</p><p>"Of course a mudblood like you wouldn't get it," they snickered at him.  "You'll never really be a wizard."</p><p>He remembered why he didn't talk to anyone for his first two years at Hogwarts.</p><p>3rd year though, his life changed.</p><p>Slytherins and Gryffindors were together for Potions class, a class Sugawara didn't mind because it was pretty independent work and he didn't need anyone's help since he was a bright student.</p><p>He shared a seat with a Gryffindor because there weren't enough cauldrons to go around, and of course all the Slytherins laughed and made comments, saying things like, “That should have been the house he's in.  He’s not good enough to be a Slytherin.”</p><p>Sugaware ignored them though, reading the textbook and trying to ignore the Gryffindor beside him.  Sure, he didn't like his own house, but that didn't mean he was fond of other houses.  He never wished he got sorted into another house - he didn't even have an opinion on the houses as he got to Hogwarts and didn't know anything about magic when he enrolled, just going with it.  </p><p>Pretty much like all muggle-born students.</p><p>"Sorry, can you help me?  I think I did it wrong...it says it should be turning red."</p><p>Sugawara didn't expect to be talked to, but assuming the fellow student just wanted some help with his work, Sugawara nodded and helped him out.  </p><p>"You added peppermint too early," he explained quietly, trying his best to help fix it by adding more, watching it turn red in a few seconds.  "There.  If you add it in too early, it's not strong enough and it won't change colour.  Just a tip."</p><p>Sugawara actually looked at the student beside him this time.  Black hair, strong build, about his height - nice face, he had to admit.</p><p>They ended up being the only ones successful with the potion, congratulated by the professor and given 10 points each.  Sugawara offered a small, shy smile while the Gryffindor was cheering with his Gryffindor friends.</p><p>Of course he would be friends with the people in his house.  That was normal.  Sugawara was the one who didn't fit in.</p><p>"Thanks for that!"  After class, the same black-haired Gryffindor came up to him, following him down the hallway without Sugawara noticing.  The Slytherin's eyes widened at the sudden conversation, gulping nervously.  This was the first time another student openly talked to him, not annoyed or disgusted by him being in Slytherin.  It made his stomach flip in a weird way that he wasn't sure if he hated or not.</p><p>"You really saved me.  Here."  The Gryffindor handed him a small vial of sunflower-yellow liquid, which Sugawara noticed was the potion they had made a little earlier.  The Elixir to Induce Euphoria, to induce inexplicable feelings of happiness and joy.</p><p>"You looked kinda sad back there.  So maybe add a drop to your tea?  You seem really nice, I was hoping we could be friends."</p><p> </p><p>That was 2 years ago.  Now Sugawara was in his 5th year, still having top grades and exceeding every Slytherin student by doing magic better than anyone else in their house.  He wanted to show them all that he was an exceptional wizard and didn't need magical parents to be one.  He would let them know just how powerful he could be without any of their help, and how much they would regret it the day they let “mudblood” slip past their lips.</p><p>"Daichi-kun!"  Sugawara exclaimed from the top of the staircase, the Gryffindor waiting for him at the bottom.  Daichi turned his head, smiling widely as he watched his best friend run down and greeting him with a hug.</p><p>"Finally!  I thought you would never come down."</p><p>What Sugawara wouldn't tell him was that he was late because his roommates thought it would be funny to make spiders pour out of his shower instead of water.  Sugawara had to spend the next 45 minutes making sure there were none left in his robes.</p><p>"Sorry.  You know I don't just wake up pretty," he said with a cheeky grin, linking their arms as they made their way to the library.</p><p>If you think Sugawara broke into the headmaster's office to make sure he and Daichi were in every class together, then you would be absolutely correct because that was exactly what he did.</p><p>Because they had every class together it meant that they did assignments together, were partners for everything, and spent even more time together than what would be normal for two boys in different houses.</p><p>"This essay is going to kill me," Daichi groaned, setting down his quill and shaking his hand, his wrist sore from all the writing he'd done.  Sugawara was still going, only stopping a few minutes later when he realized Daichi was taking a break.</p><p>Sugawara stared at the Gryffindor for a while, admiring his facial features.  From his eyes to his jaw, Sugawara saw him as perfect.  His smile and the way he uplifted everyone that passed by - Sugawara both envied and admired him.  He wondered what he would be like if he were a little more like Daichi.</p><p>"Daichi-kun.  You know I like you, right?  I really like you."</p><p>The Gryffindor stiffened, then blushed, looking down at the ink already drying on his essay.  This was the only expression on Daichi's face that Sugawara couldn't make out.  He didn't know what he was thinking and it bothered him because he could usually tell without even trying.  So to have a face where Sugawara couldn't make out what was going on was frustrating.</p><p>"This again," Daichi chuckled softly yet nervously.  "You keep saying it, but I'm gonna get the wrong idea one day.  I like you too, Suga."</p><p>Sugawara knew it wasn't the same.</p><p>This was what pissed him off the most.  The first time he confessed, Daichi thought Sugawara was just saying it in a friendship sort of way.  Two years later, Daichi was still thinking that.  The only thing that’s improved was Daichi blushing, and that just made Sugawara's heart race even more.</p><p>The thing was, Sugawara couldn't tell if this was a rejection or if Daichi actually couldn't tell.  Sugawara couldn't make it any more obvious - he liked Daichi!  Like like.  He wanted to sneak into the Gryffindor tower and cuddle.  He wanted to hold Daichi's hand while they walked down the hall.  He wanted cute dates at Hogsmeade and to celebrate anniversaries together.</p><p>He wanted to fuck.</p><p>Even though he was always confused at the way Daichi interpreted his confessions, Sugawara never pushed.  If this was Daichi's way of avoiding the confession, then so be it, but Sugawara hated the way he was being rejected.</p><p>If Daichi wanted to reject him, Sugawara would make him do it properly.</p><p>"I have Quidditch practice tonight too.  I don't think I'll ever be done with this."</p><p> </p><p>Their study date ended with Sugawara completing his essay and Daichi making it halfway - oh, and another confession wasting away in the trash.</p><p>Sugawara didn't know what else to do.  He didn't want to use a love potion on him because then his feelings wouldn't be true.  But he didn't want Daichi to reject him, either.  So he planned to persist on, really annoyed but satisfied with the decision to keep up this one-sided love until Daichi understood and returned his feelings.</p><p>"Hey, kid." A ghost suddenly appeared in front of Sugawara, making the Slytherin gasp and drop his books.  He stared at the ghost, not recognizing which one it was, but simply picked his books up and continued walking, not reacting and ignoring him.</p><p>"Hey, you want that pretty boy to be yours, don't you?"</p><p>Sugawara stopped in his tracks.  So he saw?  Or heard?  Being a ghost, he’d probably watched Sugawara's sad love story these past two years.  Sugawara bunch of meaningless comments that made him feel empty.</p><p>Did Daichi not like him because he was a pure-blood?  When Sugawara found out Daichi came from a long line of witches and wizards, he should've taken that as another sign to hate his guts - yet he didn't.  He stayed friends with him out of desperation to talk to someone here.  After three years of being lonely and bullied, a cool friend like Daichi who everyone loved was an opportunity he just couldn't miss.</p><p>And if all else failed, he had the idea that he could humiliate Daichi and gain the favour of the rest of the Slytherins, and maybe be apart of the family a little more.didn't look at the ghost, but it was clear he’d caught his attention.</p><p>"I knew it!  So I heard correctly." The ghost caught up to Sugawara, smiling at him with a mischievous grin.</p><p>"I can help you, you know?  I know what you need."  The ghost pulled out a vial of pink potion and handed it to Sugawara, but the Slytherin was quick to reject it.</p><p>"No.  I don't need a love potion."  The ghost laughed loudly, shaking his head and pushing the vile into Sugawara's hand again.  Almost a little too aggressively - to the point that it looked suspicious.</p><p>"But it's not a love potion!  It's another type that will make your sweet puppy crush tell you his true feelings!" the ghost gushed, making Sugawara raise an eyebrow. However, he still didn't take the potion. </p><p>"So a truth potion?  I know how to make those. I don't need this."  He rejected it again, but the ghost didn't take it back.</p><p>"Hmm, not a truth potion either.  It's for feelings!  Feelings are different than information - if you ask, ‘Do you like me as a boyfriend?' you might get an answer like, 'I've never thought about it like that.'  But if you use this...” He motioned to the potion.  "...then he'll be able to tell you how he feels about the idea.  It's perfect, isn't it?  Poor, sad lover boy, not getting any love joy.  Wouldn't this potion give you so much to enjoy?"</p><p>Sugawara still thought it was sketchy.  But he didn't want anything to do with this ghost anymore so he just nodded.  "Yeah, okay, I'll use it, whatever.  Bye,” Sugawara said as he walked off, turning to see if the ghost was still following him, but it looked like he was alone.</p><p>Going back to the Slytherin tower wasn't his favourite thing to do, especially when the common room was full and everyone saw that he'd come back.</p><p>"Hey, do you guys feel something crawling in your robes?"  one of them asked loudly.  Sugawara simply ignored them and walked to the staircase.  </p><p>"Yeah, I think so.  Can't possibly be the mud in my blood, could it?"</p><p>"Disgusting!  I would never know how that felt though.  Isn't that a relief?"But that didn't happen.  He spent more and more time with Daichi that even the Gryffindors were talking about Daichi in a bad light.  He was just so friendly though, that no one cared or came to hate him.  So they inseparable, making Slytherin hate Sugawara even more each day and Daichi making Sugawara weaker as the school years went by.</p><p>"Uh, Suga-san," someone called out as they came into his room.  When he looked up it was a third year Slytherin named Tsukishima.  Even though they didn't talk, Tsukishima always quietly helped Sugawara.  In fact, he helped clean the spiders off his robes so he wouldn't be too late meeting Daichi.</p><p>It didn't mean he was better than the rest of them though.</p><p>"This morning...that prank-""I know."  Sugawara gave a small smile.  "It's fine.  I'm used to it."</p><p>Sugawara could see the pity in Tsukishima's eyes, but he ignored it, letting Tsukishima leave quickly to avoid any awkward confrontation.  Whatever Tsukishima wanted to say, Sugawara didn't want to hear it.  </p><p>He hated that look of pity.  He hated when people looked at him like a lost cause.  He hated the way they tried to quietly cheer him up, but didn't want to risk getting caught by his bullies.  He hated the half-assed 'friends' that only talk to Sugawara when it was convenient for them.  He hated the teachers especially, wanting to be with him in the halls to make sure he wasn't bullied, or maybe even switch him to a different house quietly and make everyone swear not to say anything.  Sugawara didn't want any of it - he was powerful and smart and clever.  He didn't <em>need </em>any of it.</p><p>That's why he always liked Daichi.  Daichi never saw him as a lesser, even though he knew Sugawara was muggle born.  He never thought he needed extra help since he knew nothing of the wizarding world coming in and was even confused sometimes.  Daichi treated him like he would treat anyone else, even pushed him to be better.</p><p>That's why Sugawara liked Daichi.</p><p>And that's why this stupid potion was being thrown out the window.  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 user)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Daichi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sawamura Daichi</p><p>5th Year</p><p>Pure Blood</p><p>Gryffindor</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Daichi-san, I'm really sorry this is so sudden, but I like you!  Please take some time to think about it."<br/></span>
  <span>"Oh, I like you too."<br/></span>
  <span>"Really?  No way!  So are we dating now?"<br/></span>
  <span>"Huh?  No.  Why would you think that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was safe to say Daichi didn't know exactly just how good he had it.  A perfect life with a wizard and a witch as his parents, a friendly personality and good looks that he didn't know he had until half the boys </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> Gryffindor drilled it into his mind.  So yes, Daichi had lots of things others didn't and he didn't know it.  Until one day he realized there were people that in fact didn't enjoy everything in life.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"I wasn't sad.  But I'm guessing you don't need this potion, so I'll take it."</span>
</p><p><span>It was the first time someone </span><span>had </span><span>talked to him like that, and he wasn't too sure as to why he did, other than that </span><span>he </span><span>and Daichi were in different houses, but that didn't stop Daichi from making friends.  He</span><span>’d</span><span> talked to Slytherins before, and though he didn't </span><span>always</span> <span>know if they were genuine or not, they still talked to him anyway.  So to have someone treat him so coldly shocked him, stunned </span><span>him in</span><span> place, even though it wasn't like he</span><span> was</span><span> insulted or anything.  Maybe he was just expecting a bit of a thanks.</span></p><p>
  <span>"H-Hey, uhm I was just...look, we can be friends, I guess.  You don't have to-" Daichi wasn't sad or anything, but it must've looked like it to this Slytherin.  And to not take this opportunity was a stupid move on his part.  A smile spread on his face and he nodded enthusiastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's be friends then!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was the start of 3rd year, the same time Daichi started getting confessed to by girls.  He could hear some whispers and snickering from the boys in Gryffindor, teasing Daichi that if he kept rejecting them all then he was going to end up alone and single forever.  Daichi knew that wasn't the case though, because Sugawara always promised that they would be friends even after Hogwarts!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Daichi-chan, I like you a lot!"<br/></span>
  <span>"I like you too."<br/></span>
  <span>"Really?  So you're my boyfriend now?"<br/></span>
  <span>"Er, well, no..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi didn't know what he was doing wrong every time he rejected a girl because they would get so excited and ask if they were dating, and once Daichi said no they would sulk and glare at him for the rest of the year.  He didn't get it - he answered their question.  He did like them.  Daichi liked everyone!  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's when he started to ask himself what the difference was between a </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>dating</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> like and a </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>friend</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> like. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asking himself was stupid though, because Daichi didn't know the answer either.  So by the middle of the year he stopped thinking about what the answer was and instead just focused on his studies and Sugawara, the only friend he had that treated him like an equal and not on some pedestal just because girls liked him.  Sugawara always treated him like a real friend, even pushing him to be better by exceeding him in his classes, teasing him for not being able to get 100s like</span>
  <span> Sugawara</span>
  <span> did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The end of 3rd year when the two were splitting up to go home was when it got a little fuzzy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll write to you all summer!"  Daichi promised.  Sugawara was taking out a piece of paper </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> handing it </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>Daichi.  On it </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> several numbers like a code that Daichi couldn't understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's my phone number," Sugawara explained with a small smile.  "You know, a telephone?  Uh, I'll write back to you and all, but I would just like to hear your voice sometimes, so..."</span>
</p><p><span>Daichi processed Sugawara's request</span><span>, </span><span>then nodded</span><span>.</span> <span>Although</span><span> he wasn't exactly sure what a telephone was, he would find out for Sugawara and learn how to use it!</span></p><p>
  <span>"And...Daichi-kun?"  Daichi looked over at Sugawara, cocking his head to the side and waiting for Sugawara to say what he wanted to say.  "Yeah?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could see Sugawara gulping, his fingers fidgeting and a nervous look </span>
  <span>spreading across</span>
  <span> his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I...I like you.  A lot."</span>
</p><p><span>It took Daichi by surprise,</span> <span>the first time a confession </span><span>was</span><span> coming from another boy.  He didn't hate it, he couldn't say that, no.  But this was Sugawara.  His best friend who </span><span>he'd</span><span> been hanging out with every day the whole school year.  Of course they would like each other!</span></p><p>
  <span>"I like you too, Suga!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The reaction Daichi got from that wasn't what he was used to.  Instead of an excited, </span>
  <span>“A</span>
  <span>re we dating now?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> he was met with sad eyes and a frown, Sugawara's hands dropping at his side.  Did he do something wrong?  What did he say?  Or perhaps he misread the situation?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Suga-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kou-chan!  Let's go!!"  Daichi heard an unfamiliar voice from afar call out, looking behind Sugawara's shoulder to see people who </span>
  <span>seemed to be</span>
  <span> his parents.  Sugawara shook his head and turned, waving a hand behind him to Daichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bye, Daichi.  I'll see you after the break."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that's when Daichi realized he needed to figure out the difference between </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>like</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>like.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That same night, while his mom and dad were enchanting the fireplace to sing music to them and Daichi was reading over </span>
  <em>
    <span>Quidditch Through the Ages</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he was thinking about it.  How Sugawara said </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>I like you</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> and how his reaction to </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>I like you too</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> wasn't a happy one.  Did Sugawara not want Daichi to like him back?  Or was Sugawara thinking of a different like?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mom, </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ad.  What do you do when you can't stop thinking </span>
  <span>about</span>
  <span> someone?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mama and </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>apa Daichi should've taken that as a sign that their son wasn't the brightest star in the sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't until the end of August </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> Daichi was reading over his Potions textbook that he read a description of a love potion, making him feel a little weird in his stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Drinking this </span>
  <span>potion</span>
  <span> creates a powerful infatuation with the person first seen by the drinker.  The bond can be broken by true love, however, as long as the drinker and the subject are constantly together, </span>
  <span>this </span>
  <span>attachment can be labelled as ‘love.</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>   Side effects include: obsession, delusion, overoptimism, constant pondering (usually about the subject), </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> mania.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Constant pondering</span>
  </em>
  <span>…</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> Daichi thought to himself.  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thinking about them?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was it an obsession to think about your best friend all the time?  No, that shouldn't be the case.  They were your best friend after all, it shouldn't be weird to want to know what they were up to and constantly wanting to write to them or learn how to use a telephone so you could hear the </span>
  <span>sound of their</span>
  <span> voice and make sure they were doing okay-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, I get it..." Daichi's heart was beating faster at the thought of Sugawara, to the point where he had to clutch his chest.  Sugawara beside him, linking their arms together.  Sugawara smiling at him, even from across the room.  Sugawara sneaking into the Gryffindor tower to try the new candy Honeydukes created.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm in love with Suga."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When 4th year rolled around, Daichi was prepared.  Prepared to tell Sugawara his feelings and to reject every girl that decide</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> to confess to him that year.  The opening ceremony was definitely not a good time, but the whole time Daichi wasn't focused on the sorting.  He kept glancing at Sugawara at the Slytherin table, sitting by himself </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> the corner, occasionally glancing back at Daichi.  Each time, Daichi smile</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>, making Sugawara look away embarrassed</span>
  <span>ly,</span>
  <span> which Daichi had to admit was adorable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Daichi-san, I like you!  Please consider me!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right after the sorting, a Ravenclaw confessed to him in the hall in front of everyone.  His first reaction was to look around </span>
  <span>for Sugawara</span>
  <span>.  When he made sure that Sugawara wasn't there to witness the confession (how embarrassing would that be!), Daichi shook his head and bowed apologetically with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry.  I'm in love with someone else.  I admire your courage though."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since then, Daichi's confessions from girls lessened every week, so now only a few of them </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> scattered </span>
  <span>throughout</span>
  <span> the year.  If Sugawara heard </span>
  <span>about</span>
  <span> it, he never mentioned it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because the next time they met in Divination class, </span>
  <span>they</span>
  <span> partnered up and </span>
  <span>continued on</span>
  <span> from last year, joking around and competing with each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Towards</span>
  <span> the end of class when everyone was packing up, Sugawara brought up the topic that Daichi </span>
  <span>had been</span>
  <span> waiting for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Daichi-kun.  I like you a lot."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi was ready for this.  He</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> practiced in his mind and his heart over and over again how he would respond.  He knew how he felt and was ready to give Sugawara his love.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think I misread the situation, but I like you too!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why was his face falling?  Why was Sugawara sad?  Why did he sigh in frustration and wave his hand like </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> the end of 3rd year when the confession took him by surprise?  Why was Sugawara walking away?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why weren't they together?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Never mind."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Now brings them to 5th year.  Sugawara keeps saying he likes him and Daichi keeps saying he likes him back, but each and every time Sugawara looks so disappointed and sad, which </span>
  <span>didn’t </span>
  <span>make sense to </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wasn't he right?  Didn't Sugawara like him in that way?  Because that's what Daichi thought, but maybe he was thinking about this all wrong.  What did Sugawara mean then if it wasn't the </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>like</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> that he was thinking of.  It sort of confused him, but he didn't understand why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Should he be using the word </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>love?</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Daichi-san!  Watch out!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A bludger hit Daichi straight in the head, almost knocking him off his broom, but luckily he recovered, holding tight and squeezing his legs together to make sure he didn't fall off.  He somersaulted in the air but stayed on his broom, laughing sheepishly as his Quidditch team flew over to make sure he was okay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you alright, Daichi-san?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah!  Sorry, it was my fault for not watching out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi was the captain of the Quidditch team - another perfect feature about him - and he was the Keeper.  His team, </span>
  <span>hand-</span>
  <span>picked by Daichi himself, was like family to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chasers</span>
  <span>:</span>
  <span> Kageyama, Kuroo and Kogane.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beaters</span>
  <span>:</span>
  <span> Nishinoya and Tanaka.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And</span>
  <span> his Seeker, Hinata.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were all skilled and determined players that played with heart and Daichi wouldn't want another team.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll go get the bludger, don't worry</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  Daichi told them, flying down to try and retrieve it, but the enchanted ball kept playing and jerking around, flying from one end of the castle to the other.  Daichi had to get his wand out, aiming </span>
  <span>for</span>
  <span> the bludger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stupefy!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bludger finally stopped, landing on the ground so Daichi could fly down and pick it up.  He was a bit out of breath, but glad nonetheless that he was able to catch it.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked around </span>
  <span>to see</span>
  <span> where he was, wondering how far he actually flew just to get this ball, </span>
  <span>then</span>
  <span> noticed he was actually all the way outside the Slytherin tower.  If he flew a few feet up, he would probably be able to tap on Sugawara's window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he picked up the ball though, he noticed something on the ground along with it.  A </span>
  <span>vial </span>
  <span>of pink potion that Daichi wasn't able to identify.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up, then around, walking a few metres to see if anyone could have dropped it.  It might've been an assignment of some sort, or maybe it was a prank!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wanting to figure out what it was, Daichi opened</span>
  <span> it</span>
  <span> slowly, flinching when he heard a </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>pop,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> but </span>
  <span>relaxing</span>
  <span> when nothing happened.  That's when it hit him.  That scent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It filled his nose, almost suffocating him</span>
  <span>:</span>
  <span> the scent he </span>
  <span>associated with</span>
  <span> Sugawara.  But it wasn't just that Daichi could smell him.  There was way more to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the smell of Sugawara when Daichi hugged him, burying himself in his neck because that's how the best hugs felt.  The smell of Sugawara after flying together all afternoon instead of working on their potions projects.  The smell of Sugawara when he secretly snuck </span>
  <span>into </span>
  <span>the Gryffindor common room at night so they could drink hot chocolate with marshmallows.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ugh, you fucking stink, Kage-boke!  I can smell you from</span>
  <span> all the way over</span>
  <span> here!"<br/></span>
  <span>"Are you dumb or stupid?!  That disgusting scent is you!"<br/></span>
  <span>"Me?  Last I checked, I don't smell like dumbass!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi looked up to see Kageyama and Hinata flying towards him, so he </span>
  <span>stopped</span>
  <span> up the potion and all of a sudden the smell of Sugawara </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> gone.  He </span>
  <span>still</span>
  <span> wasn't sure what potion this was though, but if it smelt like Sugawara then perhaps it did belong to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop cursing at each other.  It's bad for the team," he scolded lightly, though he knew they didn't mean any real harm.  Sometimes during practice though they took it a little too far.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, well, I didn't start it," Kageyama scowled, glaring at Hinata.  They noticed Daichi was carrying the bludger and a </span>
  <span>vial </span>
  <span>of potion, but they weren't sure what it was either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's that?"  Daichi looked down at what he was holding, not being able to give them a straight answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, I think it belongs to Suga.  I'll go return it."  Daichi told them, giving Kageyama the bludger so they could keep practising.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oi, be careful around that Slytherin," Kageyama warned, narrowing his eyes at Daichi.  "He might be nice to you, but he's gonna bite one day, I swear."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi knew all the prejudices against Slytherin and how no one - especially someone as nice as Daichi - should be associating themselves with them (well, Asahi was also someone they shouldn't mess with).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry.  You guys keep practising though.  I'll be quick about this," he reassured them, flying off before they could say anything.  Did they know that this was just an excuse so that Daichi could see Sugawara again?</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't usually go to the </span>
  <span>Slytherin</span>
  <span> side of the castle, mainly because he wasn't really </span>
  <span>welcome</span>
  <span> there, but also because Sugawara always went to </span>
  <span>Gryffindor’s</span>
  <span>.  He insisted that the </span>
  <span>Slytherin</span>
  <span> side looked exactly like Gryffindor's, just in green and silver, so Daichi had nothing to look forward to.  He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> only ever been as far as the staircase, and even then he didn't wait for more than an hour.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Daichi-san," someone called out, and when Daichi turned he saw it was another Slytherin in his year named Iwaizumi Hajime.  The only reason they knew each </span>
  <span>other</span>
  <span> by name was because Iwaizumi played Quidditch too.  Iwaizumi was one of the nicer Slytherins, but lately there'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been a rumor going around about him </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> made him a little more curious about why someone like him was in Slytherin.  But right now he was focused on Sugawara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, I'm looking for Suga.  Is he in the common room?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi's eyes widened slightly, and before he could answer another Slytherin - Oikawa Tooru, also </span>
  <span>a part </span>
  <span>of the Quidditch team - stepped in, throwing an arm around Iwaizumi's neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mm, I heard some screams in the boys</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span> bathroom just now that sounded like his.  Bet they've finally done it." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi didn't enjoy </span>
  <span>his </span>
  <span>tone, and from what he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> heard of Oikawa, he didn't like him either.  Another mystery was how someone like Iwaizumi was even friends with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, Iwa-chan?"  There were practically hearts in Oikawa's eyes as he responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So maybe that's why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't talk to him like that.  Answer properly."  Iwaizumi's eyes were slanted at Oikawa, making the pretty boy sigh loudly and dramatically, looking over to Daichi uninterested</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I dunno, okay?  Some boys were laughing about how Suga sucked some teacher's cock for his high grades.  No one believes he's actually good at magi-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Oikawa could finish his sentence, Daichi was running past them, finding the nearest bathroom that Oikawa must have been talking about.  When he opened the bathroom </span>
  <span>door</span>
  <span>, his eyes widened in shock.  Even though they weren't doing what Daichi thought, it still wasn't a sight he liked to see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Filthy, fucking mudblood.  Here you go then!  What your people deserve."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara was tied to the sink of the washroom, </span>
  <span>three </span>
  <span>boys forcing his mouth open and shoving mud down his throat.  They must've put a spell on his legs because even though they weren't tied, they weren't moving.  And on the ground Sugawara's wand </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> snapped in half.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hearing the door open made all</span>
  <span> three</span>
  <span> of them turn their heads, not including Sugawara since his head </span>
  <span>was </span>
  <span>held in place.  The</span>
  <span> three</span>
  <span> torturing Sugawara cursed, about to attack Daichi too, but Daichi was faster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Expelliarmus!"  He got rid of their wands, then threatened them by pointing </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> all of them.  "Get out before I blast you! Get out now!!"  His yell echoed </span>
  <span>throughout </span>
  <span>the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The </span>
  <span>three </span>
  <span>bullies cursed, running </span>
  <span>past </span>
  <span>Daichi, knowing he was a pretty powerful wizard himself.  When they were gone, Daichi lowered his wand and ran over to Sugawara, helping untie him and </span>
  <span>undoing</span>
  <span> the spell on his legs.  Sugawara immediately started puking in the sink, throwing up all the mud they</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> shoved down his throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi waited, rubbing his back in circles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Sugawara seemed finished, there were tears in his eyes, stains of </span>
  <span>which had</span>
  <span> already fallen on his cheeks.  Daichi didn't know if this was the first time or the hundredth time, but he was glad he came. Sugawara looked tired and hurt - all Daichi wanted to do was comfort him.  Protect him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Daichi leaned in for a hug.  He hugged Sugawara tight, inhaling his scent from his neck - it smelt exactly like that potion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a minute or so of that hug, he pulled away, looking down at Sugawara and seeing if he could make him feel better in any way.  What expression was he making?  What was he thinking?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Suga, I-"<br/></span>
  <span>"Why did it have to be you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tears started to fall out of Sugawara's eyes again, and Daichi couldn't tell why.  Was it wrong for him to come?  Did Sugawara not want to be rescued?  But he was clearly struggling and being abused - shouldn't you lean on friends in times like </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anyone but you..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara's voice was barely a whisper, but Daichi heard it loud and clear.  He watched as Sugawara began to run away, not bothering to pick up his broken wand.  Daichi felt like following Sugawara, but he was out of sight in seconds and Daichi's feet were glued to the ground, like his whole body was frozen in time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait," he said softly, taking one small step after another before he reached the door of the bathroom.  Before he knew it, tears were coming out of his eyes too, but he just blinked them away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where did...you go?"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Akaashi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Akaashi Keiji</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>4th Year</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pure </span>
  <span>Blood</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ravenclaw</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi usually spent his days </span>
  <span>off </span>
  <span>reading in his room, swinging his legs from his bed as he started a new book series his roommate Kenma </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>lent him.  </span>
  <span>Around</span>
  <span> the middle of the book there was a tap on his window</span>
  <span> that got</span>
  <span> his attention right away.  When he went over to see </span>
  <span>what</span>
  <span> it was, he saw a familiar grey owl, causing him to smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He opened the window, letting the owl in, then looked out, turning his head side to side to make sure he </span>
  <span>wouldn’t get </span>
  <span>caught.  He closed the window, turning around but was already being held, another body pressed against </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, then a pair of lips connecting to his in a soft kiss.  The other pulled away slowly, but Akaashi leaned in for another kiss which was eagerly </span>
  <span>reciprocated</span>
  <span>. It took a few minutes, but finally Akaashi pulled away, smiling up softly at his visitor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Akaashi!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hi, Bokuto-san."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was movement outside Akaashi's dorm, causing him to push Bokuto down and kick him under his bed.  He couldn't have anyone catch Bokuto in his room since this wasn't his house and he could get in big trouble, even though pretty much everyone knew they were dating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was just Kenma.  </span>
  <span>He’d</span>
  <span> apparently </span>
  <span>forgotten</span>
  <span> a book that he wanted to take down, but he sensed something was off since Akaashi seemed stiff.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is your boyfriend here?"  Kenma finally asked just before he left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi didn't mind if Kenma knew since they were friends and he definitely wouldn't snitch.  But if anyone else knew or heard them, especially the dumb fucks that wanted Akaashi in trouble or Bokuto expelled, then he wouldn't forgive himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So he played dumb.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What boyfriend?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not his strongest point since Kenma obviously didn't buy it, but seemed to not care at all.  The blond just waved his hand, dismissing Akaashi with a soft sigh.  "Whatever.  Hoot hoot or something."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that, it was only Akaashi and Bokuto left in the dorm, Bokuto crawling from under the bed.  He gave a small laugh and Akaashi smiled back, helping him up and sitting with him on the bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even though no one believed it, Akaashi was the one who started everything.  Akaashi had a crush on Bokuto first.  Akaashi confessed.  Akaashi got rejected once.  Akaashi pursued Bokuto for an entire year before he finally said yes.  Akaashi is the one who fell in love like an idiot and dragged Bokuto down with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anyone they told would just laugh though, saying there was no way.  It was clear Bokuto liked Akaashi more in the relationship with how clingy he was and how much trouble he went through just to get a look at Akaashi once in a while.  Which wasn't true</span>
  <span>:</span>
  <span> Akaashi risked a lot of things as well - he just never got caught.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>In Akaashi's 2nd year, he knew he wasn't going to get the attention of a third year Gryffindor by being mediocre.  Yes, he had ways, but there was only so much status could do for a person and it was clear Bokuto, like many other Gryffindors, was friends with everyone.  So he had to make Bokuto fall in love with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He ended up trying out for </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> Quidditch </span>
  <span>team </span>
  <span>and made it as the Keeper and even as runner up for captain this year after Kiyoko, the current </span>
  <span>captain</span>
  <span>, would </span>
  <span>graduate</span>
  <span>.  Their first game with Gryffindor ended with a surprise win, but for some reason Bokuto still didn't notice Akaashi.  So Akaashi took it a step further.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took a grade ahead </span>
  <span>in </span>
  <span>Muggle Studies after practically begging the teachers</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because this was the only class the 3rd year Gryffindors had with Ravenclaw.  Because of Akaashi's enthusiasm (and his father) they agreed.  So that whole school year Akaashi spent Muggle Studies staring at the back of Bokuto's head, watching him laugh and talk loudly with his friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When those two things didn't work, Akaashi finally </span>
  <span>gathered</span>
  <span> up the courage to confess</span>
  <span>. A</span>
  <span>fter a long Quidditch match and Gryffindor's victory, Akaashi got some water for Bokuto.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I like you, Bokuto-san."  His face was straight as he looked dead at Bokuto, not flinching for a second.  "More than normal."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was an obvious shock to Bokuto, suddenly being confessed to by a boy, but he didn't make things awkward, smiling and giving Akaashi a small laugh.</span>
</p>
<p><span>"Eh?  No way!  I don't think I'm a good fit for you</span><span>,</span><span> Akaashi, I'm sorry.  You know I'm muggle</span> <span>born, right?  Maybe someone from your house would be better."</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi didn't take it as a complete no though.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So for the rest of his second year he did everything he could, even though no one but Bokuto noticed.  For Valentine's </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ay he gifted Bokuto chocolate, molding them into owl shapes since one of his Gryffindor friends - Kuroo, who seem</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>to be fond of his friend Kenma - told him it was his favourite animal.  When exam time came, Akaashi made Bokuto </span>
  <span>handwritten</span>
  <span> notes to help him study</span>
  <span>. E</span>
  <span>ven though Bokuto was a year ahead</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Akaashi put in the effort.  Then summer came and Akaashi sent an owl any time he could</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>which ended up being once a week.  Bokuto only wrote back twice since he was travelling that summer, but he always wrote a long letter</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> which Akaashi appreciated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn't until Bokuto's birthday, the school year having just begun, that he finally accepted Akaashi's feelings after Akaashi put a lot of thought </span>
  <span>into</span>
  <span> his present.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What's this?"  Bokuto asked, </span>
  <span>as when</span>
  <span> the package was still wrapped and he shook it it didn't make any noise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Just open it," Akaashi replied, waiting anxiously.  If Kuroo </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>told him the truth, then this gift should make Bokuto happy.  His eyes widened and fixated on the way Bokuto opened the gift, </span>
  <span>finally</span>
  <span> revealing it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"A...volleyball?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I heard it's your favourite sport.  But since you can't bring it here, I thought-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi was brought into a bone</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>crushing hug that shocked him, but not too much later Akaashi was hugging him as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I like you too, Akaashi.  I hope I'm not too late."</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p><span>It'</span><span>d</span><span> been a little over a year and the couple was still together.  No one ever thought to question their relationship, no matter how different the pair </span><span>was</span><span>. When they saw</span><span> them</span><span> happy together, Akaashi giving the biggest smile they'</span><span>d</span> <span>ever</span><span> seen (which wasn't that big to the average person)</span><span>,</span><span> the thought of tearing the two apart was too cruel.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>It was potions class.  Akaashi didn't hate any classes and never complained - no Ravenclaw ever complained - but it seemed that this particular potions class was always his least favourite and dreaded every time he attended.  Why?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Everyone look alive!  The headmaster is on his way!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All the students did as they were told, opening their books and making it very obvious they were working hard - maybe a little too hard.  The headmaster was let in, slow steps </span>
  <span>observing </span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span>very student</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>everyone who</span>
  <span> wasn't the headmaster was shaking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone</span>
  <span> except for Akaashi.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Keiji."  The low voice of the headmaster </span>
  <span>called out, peering</span>
  <span> over Akaashi's shoulder to see what he was doing.  Akaashi just sighed, showing the headmaster his textbook to let him see his notes, because it was clear he wasn't paying attention in class since he knew all this stuff already - his father </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> made sure of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Keiji</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>he headmaster said again, making Akaashi stand and bow in greeting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Good afternoon, headmaster."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small sigh came out of the headmaster's mouth.  "Keiji..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi refrained from rolling his eyes at the tone, settling for a </span>
  <span>clenched</span>
  <span> jaw.  "Hi...dad."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could hear the giggles of the other Ravenclaws in the class, the snickers of the Gryffindors they shared </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> class with - it made him annoyed, but he never complained.  Everyone saw it as a free pass that Akaashi's dad was the headmaster, but Akaashi saw it as a nuisance.  Especially when he came to check up on him in class every so often.  He wasn't a child.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What are you making, Keiji?"  Akaashi's dad asked, looking at Akaashi's notes to see the ingredients, taking a guess but letting Akaashi answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Amortentia."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Mhm...very good."  The headmaster closed Akaashi's textbook, then looked around the room.  "Where's that Gryffindor boy you're always with</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>  I'd like to say </span>
  <span>hello</span>
  <span> to him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too."</span>
</p>
<p><span>Akaashi's dad wasn't against their relationship, but he </span><span>always</span><span> liked to point out that they were together in favour of embarrassing</span> <span>Akaashi over and over again - because Akaashi was a teenager and teenagers were embarrassed by everything.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>"He's in Divination..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Akaashi replied with a mumble, his ears </span>
  <span>turning </span>
  <span>red.  The headmaster gave him an amused look, humming as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You know his schedule too?  How sweet."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Ravenclaws were giggling, except </span>
  <span>for </span>
  <span>Kenma who was sitting </span>
  <span>right</span>
  <span> beside him </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>pretending like the scene beside him wasn’t happening.  Or even better, he didn't realize what was going on, and Akaashi was a little thankful for that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Continue.  I've seen what I need to see."  The headmaster left them at peace with that, but Akaashi felt like a weight </span>
  <span>had been </span>
  <span>lifted off his chest.  He didn't hate his dad, but he did hate the headmaster.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fucking rose petals..." Kenma cursed as he watched them </span>
  <span>dissolve</span>
  <span>, not doing anything. Akaashi </span>
  <span>watched,</span>
  <span> then</span>
  <span> pointed</span>
  <span> to the textbook.  "It's supposed to be the thorns.  The petals are for the next potion."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amortentia was a potion that supposedly made you smell what you loved the most.  Some people smelt various different </span>
  <span>things</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>other</span>
  <span> people only one.  He knew his mom smelt freshly</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>baked cinnamon buns, the only thing his dad knew how to make.  Akaashi wasn't sure what he was expecting, and he didn't know if he was terrified or excited.  Possibly both.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright!  Everyone done?"  Professor Takeda announced, getting everyone's attention.  "I'll be giving out the pearls now.  So everyone, get ready!"  </span>
</p>
<p><span>Professor Takeda went</span> <span>around, checking to make sure that every pair </span><span>prepared</span> <span>it correctly so </span><span>that </span><span>adding the last ingredient wouldn't create a disaster.  All the Ravenclaws got it perfect on the first try.  Akaashi could hear one of the </span><span>Gryffindors</span><span>, he remembered his name was Nishinoya, arguing with his partner about the ingredients.  Their </span><span>rowdiness</span><span> reminded Akaashi of Bokuto a bit.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>"Good job, boys!"  Professor Takeda praised, giving them the pearls. Akaashi crushed them like the instructions said to before adding them and mixing </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span> in.  They waited until the scent hit both of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi smelt it.  Akaashi fucking smelt it. It was so strong, how could he not?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Bokuto.  Specifically Bokuto sweating after practising his spells for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Akaashi watching him and helping him however he could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could practically hear him.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"Akaashi, did you see that?!  I deflected it!  Akaashi, you saw, right?  Right, Akaashi?  Akaashi!"</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p><span>It smelled like </span><span>Bokuto</span><span> when he hugged Akaashi excitedly </span><span>after</span> <span>perfecting a spell after a whole day of working hard to perfect it</span><span>.  The smell made him crazy </span><span>-</span><span> he had to cover his mouth</span><span>,</span><span> but it wasn't just him.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Almost all the Ravenclaws </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>successful, </span>
  <span>making multiple potions, so everyone was overwhelmed with the smell</span>
  <span>.  Professor Takeda had to open the door and the windows so it could air out, but it seemed </span>
  <span>like</span>
  <span> everyone was smelling something they loved.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Kenma, what do you sme-"  When Akaashi turned he saw Kenma, tears falling from his eyes </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>clutching his chest.  Next thing he knew, Kenma was running out of the room, his stool falling over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Kenma!"  But he was </span>
  <span>already</span>
  <span> gone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi figured Kenma would be okay.  He was similar to Akaashi in ways, including not wanting to show an emotional or vulnerable side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead, Akaashi was thinking about how he wanted to show Bokuto this potion.  Had he </span>
  <span>already</span>
  <span> made it last year when he was in 4th year?  If he did, he didn’t show Akaashi, and now Akaashi wanted to see what Bokuto smelled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Professor Takeda, can I take some with me?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Since it wasn't a harmful potion, </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor Takeda </span>
  <span>allowed Akaashi to take some, putting the pink potion in a small vial, only a little bit being needed anyway.</span>
  
  <span>The potion was powerful enough that just a bit of it could make enough scent to make someone sick.  It was a good thing the scent was for something you loved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi was about to make his way to the Gryffindor common room when he suddenly felt something in the pocket of his robes as he put </span>
  <span>away</span>
  <span> the </span>
  <span>vial</span>
  <span> of pink potion.  It was a piece of parchment that he was sure he didn't have before.  So he took it out, reading it, a small smile spreading </span>
  <span>across</span>
  <span> his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Akashi!!!!</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>It's Bokuto!  </span><br/><br/>Let's meet at the Gryffindor staircase tonight at 8 PM!  Please!  <br/>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>I love you!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>-Bokuto</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>P.S. Do you like the letter?  I learned the placement charm today.  Hopefully this reaches you :D</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi wanted to laugh but held it in, just shaking his head.  Bokuto really had an interesting mind - that was one of the things he really loved about him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>8 PM came slower than he would've liked, but he didn't complain, just waiting for Bokuto on the stairs, the Amortentia potion in his hand. </span>
  <span> Bokuto </span>
  <span>finally </span>
  <span>came down, his hand clenched around something as well.  Akaashi wondered what it was as Bokuto greeted him with a wide smile, kissing him on the cheek.</span>
</p>
<p><span>"Hey, hey, hey!  Akaashi!"  Bokuto greeted </span><span>him </span><span>excitedly, Akaashi giving </span><span>him</span><span> a small smile back.  Bokuto revealed what </span><span>he had </span><span>almost right away without Akaashi having to ask.  When he opened his palm, Akaashi's eyes widened,</span> <span>a little baby owl sleeping quietly, his head in </span><span>his</span><span> wing.  </span></p>
<p>
  <span>"Wh-Where did you-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I found </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> today.  He's cute, isn't he?"  Bokuto cooed, scratching </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> little owl</span>
  <span>’s</span>
  <span> head with his finger </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> making kissy noises at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  "I wanted to show you because I thought it would be fun to raise </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> together!  We can be parents!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was the perfect time!  Akaashi pulled out his potion</span>
  <span>, opening</span>
  <span> it up.  </span>
  <span>Immediately, he was</span>
  <span> hit with the scent of Bokuto, except now it was intensified for some reason - maybe because Bokuto was there with him?  For whatever reason, the scent changed from Bokuto after practising spells to Bokuto </span>
  <span>cuddling</span>
  <span> with him during Christmas by the fire </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> the Ravenclaw common room, not giving two flying fucks about who saw. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto and Christmas.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What do you smell?"  Akaashi asked  a bit too eagerly, holding up the potion to Bokuto's face.  He was almost certain Bokuto was going to say</span>
  <span>, “A</span>
  <span>h, it smells like you!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> and maybe give Akaashi a big kiss on the mouth before they started raising their kid together.  Akaashi just wanted to hear it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Smell?  Mmm..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Bokuto sniffed the potion multiple times before shrugging.  "I don't smell anything."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi's face </span>
  <span>fell</span>
  <span> when it looked like Bokuto was serious.  Nothing?  Like, nothing <em>at all</em></span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>  Not even another scent that wasn't Akaashi's?  How could he smell nothing?  That had to be impossible, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Akaashi?  What's wrong?  Did you make the potion wrong?"</span>
</p>
<p><span>Akaashi gulped, shaking his head and plugging the potion back up, slipping it into his pocket.  His face was straight and emotionless, like usual</span> <span>when he wasn't around Bokuto</span><span>. He</span><span> turned around</span><span>,</span><span> not wanting Bokuto to see his face.  </span></p>
<p>
  <span>"Uh, sorry, Bokuto-san.  I forgot I had an essay due tomorrow.  I'll...uh, see you later."</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi didn't know if he would rather Bokuto have smelled something else or to really not smell anything at all.  He hated not knowing - hated not knowing if Bokuto was lying.  Hated not knowing why Bokuto didn't smell anything.  Hated not knowing what was going on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Mmm, well, I guess they must be really sad then, right?  At least that's what I'm assuming.  They're incapable of love, perhaps?  I've never heard of such a thing happening before, so maybe do some research in the library."  Akaashi thought asking his fellow Ravenclaw and Quidditch team captain Kiyoko would be a good idea, since she wouldn't ask questions about his sudden curiosity </span>
  <span>about </span>
  <span>the love potion. </span>
  <span>However, </span>
  <span>the answer wasn't what he wanted to hear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto incapable of love?  Impossible.  Bokuto was basically made out of love.  He loved people </span>
  <span>and was</span>
  <span> always friendly with everyone.  He loved love to the point where Akaashi would </span>
  <span>sometimes</span>
  <span> be convinced that Bokuto was secretly a Hufflepuff.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So how could Bokuto not smell anything?  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi was carrying the potion around even a week later asking other people to smell it.  When he asked Tanaka, a Gryffindor in his grade, he got an abundance of answers he wasn't prepared for.  When he asked Aone, a Hufflepuff </span>
  <span>who </span>
  <span>was also in his grade, a small blush crept </span>
  <span>across </span>
  <span>his face </span>
  <span>as he</span>
  <span> mumbled, "Futakuchi..."  He even went as far as asking his dad what he smelled</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e got a </span>
  <span>not-so-shocking</span>
  <span> "freshly</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>printed books.  Like when </span>
  <span>your </span>
  <span>mother launches a new textbook."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So why couldn't Bokuto-san smell anything?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, what do we have here?"  Akaashi jumped at the sudden voice</span>
  <span>. A</span>
  <span> ghost </span>
  <span>whom</span>
  <span> he recognized floating around the halls all the time approached him, gazing at the potion Akaashi was holding in his hand</span>
  <span>. He’d been </span>
  <span>staring at </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> for a good 10 minutes now.  He quickly hid it, but the ghost just </span>
  <span>glided</span>
  <span>, going through Akaashi, chuckling softly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Eh, why're </span>
  <span>you </span>
  <span>hiding it for?  Gonna pull a prank?"  </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>he ghost asked with a mischievous look in his eyes</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>Akaashi scowl</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> at such a suggestion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"As if.  I was about to throw it out," he lied, shoving the potion </span>
  <span>into </span>
  <span>his pocket and </span>
  <span>walking</span>
  <span> right through the ghost.  "Now scram, Peeves.  I'm not someone to have fun with."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi continued walking, thinking he was getting away easily, but in a flash his pocket </span>
  <span>suddenly</span>
  <span> got lighter.  He gasped, turning and </span>
  <span>glaring </span>
  <span>at the ghost, who was now holding </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> potion</span>
  <span> in his hand and </span>
  <span>eyeing it suspiciously.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is it some sort of love potion then?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e asked curiously, humming softly as he stroked his chin before </span>
  <span>looking </span>
  <span>at Akaashi to confirm.  "I can't think of what else </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> could be."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi gritted his teeth, stomping towards Peeves to get it back, but the ghost just floated above Akaashi, a wicked grin on his face.  "Ah, should've thought ahead, kid!  Maybe if you</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> treated me a little nicer!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In a </span>
  <span>flash</span>
  <span>, the ghost was gone and Akaashi was potion-less.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Shit</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>” </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e cursed, running </span>
  <span>towards</span>
  <span> the Gryffindor halls. Peeves usually hung out </span>
  <span>there</span>
  <span> since the Gryffindors were more fun to </span>
  <span>pull </span>
  <span>pranks with.  He needed to get that potion back - if something was wrong with it, it might be dangerous.  He had to get it back!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Akaashi!"  Akaashi's eyes widened in horror, turning to see Bokuto running towards him, his arms wide to scoop him into a hug.  "Did you come here for me?!  That's so sweet!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi just let out a nervous laugh, not being able to hug </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> back and letting Bokuto squeeze the life out of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because Akaashi </span>
  <span>had been</span>
  <span> avoiding him </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> whole week.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Should we go on a date?  How about some flying?  Oh-</span>
  <span>o</span>
  <span>h!  What about the library?  You can help me with my essay!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So many words spouted out of Bokuto.  How could such an excited </span>
  <span>boy </span>
  <span>not be filled with love?  What was Akaashi doing wrong?  Was it the potion, or was it him?  </span>
  <span>He had so</span>
  <span> many questions he wanted to ask, yet none of them could be answered right now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If he asked, how would Bokuto </span>
  <span>answer</span>
  <span>?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Uhm, let's go to the Ravenclaw tower</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  Akaashi whispered so the other Gryffindors around </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> hear, but most of them seemed to know what was up.  "My dorm.  Maybe you could even stay the night."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto had hearts in his eyes as he nodded speechlessly.  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Bokuto</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bokuto Koutarou</p><p>5th Year</p><p>Muggle Born</p><p>Gryffindor</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The day Bokuto found out he was a wizard was the worst day of his life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His parents hunted wizards and witches secretly, believing that they were a curse to the population even before Bokuto was sent a letter inviting him to Hogwarts, deeming him as a wizard.  </span>
  <span>Out of shock and disbelief, they attempted </span>
  <span>to get </span>
  <span>rid of their child quietly, but luckily Bokuto was saved by the headmaster.  His uncle was </span>
  <span>also fortunately </span>
  <span>willing to take him in and give him a place to stay.</span>
</p><p><span>I</span><span>t was dangerous for Bokuto though,</span> <span>withhis parents</span><span> still </span><span>out there, so the headmaster took </span><span>matters</span><span> into his own hands and obliviated them, making them forget all about Bokuto's existence and for a moment, magic itself.  Months later, they were approached again by other hunter muggles </span><span>who reintroduced</span><span> them to the world of hunting, and they were back to where they started with their hatred for magic, just this time without Bokuto.</span></p><p>
  <span>It was extremely rare to possess an animagus - an animal form that you could </span>
  <span>shapeshift</span>
  <span> into on command - especially </span>
  <span>as a student</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>which was</span>
  <span> near impossible.  But Bokuto was presented with this idea by his uncle, so he could transform and see how his parents were doing </span>
  <span>once in a while</span>
  <span>.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though they</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> shunned Bokuto and disowned him, they were his parents and he loved them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he turned into an owl once a month the whole time he was in 1st and 2nd year </span>
  <span>in order to </span>
  <span>perfect his control.  At first he couldn't stay in the owl form for more than 5 minutes, so his uncle had to drive him on holidays just so he could get a glimpse of his parents.  Now he was practically a master.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hogwarts wasn't all that bad to him.  There were many </span>
  <span>other muggle-born </span>
  <span>students like him, so it wasn't like he was a complete outcast.  Another Gryffindor </span>
  <span>in his year </span>
  <span>named Kuroo ended up becoming his best friend, and since he was a half-blood he understood the things Bokuto missed and talked about.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you know how to play volleyball, Kuroo?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I do.  But Quidditch is more exciting, don't you think?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I guess."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>And t</span><span>he Ravenclaw a year under him</span><span>...</span><span>Even Gryffindors would chat about him from time to time, saying how they couldn't believe someone could be athletic, smart and a gentleman.  Bokuto </span><span>had</span><span> never even heard his name, nor seen him, until someone pointed him out on the field as he played Quidditch</span><span>. H</span><span>e was a Keeper and </span><span>caught</span><span> the quaffle before it </span><span>could</span> <span>go through</span><span> the hoop.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Wah!  He's so cool!"  </span>
  <span>o</span>
  <span>ne of the Ravenclaws squealed, taking a picture of the black</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>haired </span>
  <span>boy</span>
  <span>.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know, right?  Cool and really up there!  Did you hear?  He's the son of the headmaster!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Everyone knows that!  He doesn't exactly try to hide it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the son of the headmaster entered his muggle studies in 3rd year, he wasn't that surprised.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A pure-blood like him didn't need to know of the muggle world, and yet here he was, showing interest, probably fascinated by the way things worked and evolved.  Or maybe he just needed to know how they worked, like all Ravenclaws </span>
  <span>did</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p><span>"Akaashi Keiji</span><span>.” He</span><span> heard him say, introducing himself to the other Ravenclaws, but it seemed that</span> <span>everyone already knew who he was.  It made sense since it was </span><span>“</span><span>Headmaster Akaashi.</span><span>”</span><span>  Bokuto wondered if it ever made Akaashi feel proud </span><span>to hear</span><span> people call out his name like that.</span></p><p>
  <span>He had to admit, when Akaashi all of a sudden confessed his feelings to him, it was a bit of a shock.</span>
</p><p><span>A pure-blood like him, perfect, smart and </span><span>the</span><span> son of a high</span><span>-</span><span>ranking man - he liked Bokuto?  Disowned, muggle</span> <span>born, basically</span><span>-</span><span>an</span><span>-</span><span>orphan Bokuto?  </span></p><p>
  <span>A lot of people didn't know Bokuto's story because of how well he hid those sad thoughts, and most of the time his smiles did end up genuine.  However, sometimes there would be sad moments where he felt like a failure even though he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> just messed up something minor, and no one could cheer him up for a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How could Akaashi like that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Akaashi proved his feelings by not backing down, pursuing Bokuto further and making an effort.  It wasn't hard to fall for him with how persistent he ended up being and how much effort he spent on getting Bokuto's attention, though Bokuto was sure no one else could see it but him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In his 3rd year final exam for Defense Against the Dark Arts, he realized just how much he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> fallen for Akaashi without meaning to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His task was to get rid of the Boggart - a monster which showed your deepest fear - with a spell that would make him laugh or </span>
  <span>be</span>
  <span> happy.  When that stupid Boggart stepped out of the closet, Bokuto almost fell </span>
  <span>over</span>
  <span> when it looked exactly like Akaashi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Same height, same hair, same build - an exact replica.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?  You thought I would actually like some filthy mudblood like you?"  Even his voice was the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto failed that part of the exam, not being able to conjure a spell in time and </span>
  <span>falling</span>
  <span> into a temporary state of depression.</span>
</p><p><span>So he was more than relieved when his 4th year came and Akaashi was still pursuing him, </span><span>even</span> <span>gifting </span><span>him a volleyball, which Bokuto ha</span><span>d</span><span>n't seen in a while due to summers spent alone with his uncle and no one but Kuroo interested in playing.  He accepted gratefully, ecstatic that someone was willing to put up with his shit.</span></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There was </span>
  <span>also</span>
  <span> the matter of telling Akaashi about his past though, </span>
  <span>but</span>
  <span> that didn't happen until later in their relationship around Valentine's day, their first one as a couple.  Akaashi must have known how hard it was to become an animagi, so Bokuto must have had a really good reason for him not to mention the risks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Telling Akaashi wasn't the hard part</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  It was the after </span>
  <span>part </span>
  <span>when apparently some other Ravenclaws overheard their conversation and started spreading the story </span>
  <span>around</span>
  <span>.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you hear?  That 4th year Bokuto is a criminal!  I saw it myself!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I bet he changes into a lion and kills Slytherins in his spare time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But Bokuto is so kind!  I can't imagine </span>
  <span>him doing </span>
  <span>that..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>eadmaster Akaashi </span>
  <span>luckily</span>
  <span> tended to the rumors quickly, not wanting anyone to harass his son's boyfriend when they didn't know the full story. The only thing was, many students wanted to become animagi, so they wanted to try and get an excuse similar to Bokuto's in order to get approved by the Ministry of Magic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then there </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> a handful of pure-bloods </span>
  <span>who</span>
  <span> didn't approve of Bokuto's parents and claimed they were </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>worried</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> about their safety.  Mainly Slytherins, but even some Ravenclaws wanted to see Bokuto expelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What if his parents come and find us!"  </span>
  <span>o</span>
  <span>ne of them exclaimed during a meeting with </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>eadmaster Akaashi after Bokuto</span>
  <span> had gotten</span>
  <span> into a fight with a Slytherin over the issue.  "I don't want to be caught by some mudblood!  He needs to go somewhere secluded!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>eadmaster Akaashi</span>
  <span> hadn’t been</span>
  <span> so wise, Bokuto would've been sent home right away - that's what Bokuto would've done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto-san is a bright wizard</span>
  <span> who </span>
  <span>deserves the best education.  If his parents attack, I am more than confident that the security at Hogwarts could handle </span>
  <span>two</span>
  <span> oblivious muggles."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto never felt more grateful towards an adult before.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Sitting on Akaashi's bed always made him excited and scared - scared because he didn't want to get caught.</span>
</p><p><span>It </span><span>didn’t seem</span> <span>like</span> <span>anyone would disturb them</span><span>, however</span><span>. E</span><span>veryone </span><span>was </span><span>downstairs in the Ravenclaw common room playing smart people games Bokuto wasn't able to even comprehend, but looking like they were having a good time.  </span></p><p>
  <span>So </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>and Akaashi were having a good time as well, just the two of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What should we name him?"  Bokuto cooed at the baby owl. </span>
  <span>He was</span>
  <span> brown with black stripes, similar to Bokuto's form.  Akaashi said it was okay to bring him as long as he didn't make a mess in the dorms.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Bokuto had found the owl crying in the grass </span>
  <span>with a broken wing</span>
  <span>.  When he saw it he couldn't leave it alone, instead quickly taking it into his care and helping </span>
  <span>nurse</span>
  <span> it back to health.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi probably knew how to take </span>
  <span>better </span>
  <span>care of </span>
  <span>him </span>
  <span>though, and he didn't want to raise him with anyone else anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mmm, how about..." Akaashi looked like he was thinking hard, staring at the owl.  "Fukurou?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto burst out laughing, making the owl flinch but he quickly went back to sleep.  Akaashi's eyes widened, not understanding what was so funny, but Bokuto just kept laughing hysterically before catching his breath and looking down at the owl again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <span>All right,</span>
  <span> then.  Fukurou it is."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto had his attention on the owl the whole time, stroking </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> head and kissing </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> occasionally, watching in fascination as </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> slept.  Usually when Akaashi called him to his </span>
  <span>dorm</span>
  <span>, there was no reason.  Just to spend time together when Akaashi knew his roommates wouldn't come upstairs for most of the night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, Bokuto-san.  I wanted to talk to you</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Akaashi mustered up a small voice, getting Bokuto's attention right away.  His boyfriend looked flustered and perhaps a little nervous, which of course made Bokuto nervous too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, sure."  Bokuto put the owl down on the bed, letting him sleep peacefully.  Akaashi sat in front of him visibly gulping, making Bokuto also visibly anxious.  Was he going to break up with him?  Did he do something wrong?  Maybe he accidentally spent a little too much time with Fukurou, and Akaashi was mad at him?  Bokuto was so ready to beg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My potion..." Akaashi started off softly, looking down at his fingers and fidgeting with them.  Bokuto relaxed a bit at those words, realizing it might've been something else he didn't need to worry about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I, uh, I lost it!  Yeah, I lost it and, uhm, I can't seem to find it anywhere.  It's really important to me, so if you could help me...find it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto practically </span>
  <span>shone</span>
  <span>, puffing his chest out and nodding.  "You can count on me!  I'll find it for you in no time!!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It's been a week and Bokuto still hadn't found it.  Neither of them had</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Bokuto could see it was stressing Akaashi out.  It must've been a really important potion for him to get </span>
  <span>so</span>
  <span> worked up about it.  Maybe that was why he was so excited to show it to Bokuto for the first time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, Daichi!"  Bokuto greeted </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> from across the hall, watching as </span>
  <span>Gryffindor’s </span>
  <span>team captain stepped out of one of the Slytherin bathrooms, confusing Bokuto a bit</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>but</span>
  <span> he didn't ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In fact, that's not what got his attention.  It looked like Daich had been...crying?  And not a </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>we just won the House Cup!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> kind of crying.  Actual <em>crying</em>.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Daichi.  Are you okay?"  Bokuto asked concernedly, but the fellow Gryffindor just smiled and nodded, wiping his eyes even more.  Bokuto heard a sniffle, so he grabbed Daichi's shoulders making him look at Bokuto.  It was obvious Daichi </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>just finished crying, but it seemed like he wasn't in the mood to talk about it.  It would probably make him cry even more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe...Maybe I'll tell you later, Bokuto.  Right now...I want to be alone."  Daichi laughed sadly, scratching the back of his head.  "You get it, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto nodded, understanding perfectly.  He wanted to cheer Daichi up, but at the same time he didn't want to force anything out of him either.  So he let Daichi go, watching as he walked down the hall to make sure he didn't trip or get distracted.  It was odd to see their leader, one of the top</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>notch Gryffindors, look </span>
  <span>so dejected</span>
  <span>.  It </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> went to prove that everyone had a side the world didn't see, no matter how</span>
  <span> strong</span>
  <span> they looked on the outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Bokuto didn't want to leave Daichi </span>
  <span>all</span>
  <span> alone like that.  In</span>
  <span> the hope of finding </span>
  <span>some sort of</span>
  <span> clue</span>
  <span> as to what </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> caused Daichi to cry like that, he stepped into the Slytherin bathroom expecting to see a giant snake or something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All he saw was mud, rope and a broken wand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed like something did happen here, but when he saw Daichi he looked completely untouched.  Maybe he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> cleaned himself up?  It wasn't impossible that Daichi was getting bullied by Slytherins (especially by Slytherins)</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but he just couldn't see it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a look at the broken wand </span>
  <span>and noticed</span>
  <span> right away </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> it wasn't Daichi's.  So it must've been someone else getting harassed - maybe Daichi's friend?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he continued looking around the bathroom, he noticed something by the sink that made Bokuto's heart stop.  A small </span>
  <span>vial </span>
  <span>with a pink potion in it - Akaashi's potion!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt surreal that he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> finally found it - the Slytherin bathroom of all places! </span>
  <span>Without thinking, he took it, inspecting</span>
  <span> it further to make sure it was the right one.  Akaashi didn’t put his name on it or anything, but he couldn't think of anyone else who would have such a thing.  Besides, even if it wasn't Akaashi's he could just put it back!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To make sure, Bokuto decided to try smelling it, telling himself that if he smelt nothing then he could confirm it to be Akaashi's and give it back to him.  He popped the lid open and inhaled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's all he could smell.  Akaashi and grass, when they held hands by the garden, talking about their latest essays</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though Bokuto</span>
  <span> mainly</span>
  <span> just listened.  Akaashi and grass, when he taught him how to play volleyball and he ended up being really good.  Akaashi and grass, when he would turn into an owl so he could fly around and bring Akaashi some treats from Hogsmeade without getting caught.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Damn..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" he mumbled softly, looking down at the potion.  Was this a different one?  He couldn't remember smelling anything last time, but now the scent was so strong it was making him dizzy.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This couldn't be the same potion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he was processing the scent and trying to figure out what to do, the bathroom door opened.  A </span>
  <span>tall </span>
  <span>red</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>headed Slytherin boy entered holding some notebooks, but before he could take a second step </span>
  <span>inside</span>
  <span> he dropped everything, covering his mouth and nose right away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked like he was about to vomit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What-What the fuck-"  Bokuto watched as the Slytherin dropped to the floor, snapping his head up to look at Bokuto, glaring at him.  "What the fuck is that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto wanted to look offended because that scent was his boyfriend, but realized that maybe this guy actually needed help when he started coughing and breathing hysterically.  It looked like a panic attack, but he was still able to talk and curse at Bokuto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Get rid of it!  Get rid of it now!!" </span>
  <span> h</span>
  <span>e growled, </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>Bokuto clos</span>
  <span>ed up</span>
  <span> the potion right away, the scent vanishing within seconds.  The Slytherin uncovered his face, taking deep breaths in and out, fanning himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay, man?"  Bokuto asked </span>
  <span>concernedly</span>
  <span>, but the Slytherin</span>
  <span> just </span>
  <span>responded by glaring at him.  He stood up, taking Bokuto by the collar and shoving him against the wall, </span>
  <span>grabbing </span>
  <span>the potion from </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> forcefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, give that-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're the filthy mudblood scum with hunters for parents, aren't you?"  </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>he redhead growled, pushing Bokuto harder against the wall when he choked out and didn't answer.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Aren't you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto's eyes </span>
  <span>went </span>
  <span>wide, not </span>
  <span>sure </span>
  <span>how to respond.  Right now he just wanted this guy off of him.  He shoved the Slytherin hard, trying to get the potion back, but he was quick enough to dodge Bokuto’s attack.</span>
</p><p><span>"You know, don't you?!  What the fuck is this, huh?  Poison?  Some sort of enhancer?  You think you can get me?  I fucking knew mudbloods like you were like this!"</span> <span><br/></span><span>Bokuto had no idea what he was talking about.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Wait, please.  I need that potion ba-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're so fucking lucky you're fucking the headmaster's son.  That's the only reason you're still here!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto didn't know what else to do.  He wanted to attack, but he was already on </span>
  <span>thin</span>
  <span> ice by being an animagi</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e didn't want to cause </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>eadmaster Akaashi any more trouble by getting into fights.  Maybe he could get Kuroo to fight him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please, this potion is import-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fuck you!  I know your mudblood tricks!  You-You-" the redhead grunted, grasping the potion tightly before shoving it</span>
  <span> into</span>
  <span> his pocket.  "This is mine now, you hear me?  And if you ever make this again, I'll slice you, mudblood.  I don't care who you're connected to - I'm fucking watching you now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, the Slytherin left the bathroom, picking up his papers and notebooks quickly, </span>
  <span>even crumpling</span>
  <span> some of them up.  Bokuto managed to see the name on the front of one of his notebooks, wanting to identify </span>
  <span>him for the future</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou Satori</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bathroom was empty </span>
  <span>once more</span>
  <span> except for some mud, a broken wand and a very confused Bokuto.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Hinata</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hinata Shouyou</p><p>3rd Year</p><p>Half-blood (on his mom's side)</p><p>Gryffindor</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hinata was 125% sure he was in love with the most perfect person in the universe.  And not just perfect in general - perfect for him specifically.  Good</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>looking, athletic, same house, same age and same interests.  Hinata was very certain he couldn't have asked for a better person to crush on.  Except there was one little problem with his crush that he was told many young teenage boys had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kageyama, you're so fucking stupid!  I hate you!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yeah, well, you should've moved when I told you to, so </span>
  <span>whose</span>
  <span> fucking fault is that?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I.  Will.  Cut.  You."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata really didn't know what </span>
  <span>went </span>
  <span>wrong.  When </span>
  <span>he and </span>
  <span>Kageyama were roommates back in 1st year, things weren't this bad.  They talked and got to know each other, </span>
  <span>failed</span>
  <span> classes together (Kageyama couldn't be good at everything) and</span>
  <span> spent </span>
  <span>their free time messing around, practising Quidditch or just flying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't remember exactly when the fighting started.  Just </span>
  <span>that </span>
  <span>one day Kageyama started screaming at Hinata for something - it was most likely something </span>
  <span>to do </span>
  <span>with Quidditch practice because it almost always is - and out of reflex, Hinata screamed back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ever since then, they fought over every little thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're sitting on my wand, fucking dumbass!  Get off before you snap it in half!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe if you put your stuff away properly, this wouldn't be a problem!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Why can't you just listen to me?!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why can't you ask me nicely</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then?!!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though they fought, they still spent all their time together.  They shared a dorm, sat next to each other in all their classes, ate together and even spent holidays together if they stayed at Hogwarts.  </span>
</p><p><span>Spending a little time together was enough for Hinata, even if they were fighting. And as</span> <span>long as they were fighting, Kageyama was next to him.  So he kept it up, this fighting and </span><span>“</span><span>I hate you</span><span>”</span><span> act, all the way till 3rd year.</span></p><p>
  <span>There was another problem with his crush that pissed </span>
  <span>Hinata</span>
  <span> off </span>
  <span>more than anything: more than </span>
  <span>the fighting, the insults and the unnecessary harsh judgement he got from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Guys, look!  Kageyama-kun is getting confessed to again!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"No way!  Another Gryffindor?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"No, she's a Hufflepuff!  Oh shit, she's crying.  You think he said something mean again?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Kageyama-kun always says the worst things in these situations..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata fought everyone trying to get to the front, squirming his small body between them till he finally hit the window all the boys were looking out of.  Like they said, the poor Hufflepuff girl was crying into her hands, Kageyama staring at her with furrowed eyebrows and a clenched jaw - Hinata swore Kageyama was about to roll his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His crush was too perfect.  Everyone in their grade was starting to like him, or at least all the girls did.  And if you compared a cute, gentle, sweet girl to someone aggressive and loud like Hinata </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>well, Hinata couldn't compete.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every confession Kageyama </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> gotten so far, he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> rejected, and every time he rejected </span>
  <span>someone</span>
  <span> Hinata was able to </span>
  <span>breathe </span>
  <span>a little </span>
  <span>easier</span>
  <span>.  It always made him feel better when Kageyama gave him his attention </span>
  <span>while playin</span>
  <span>g Quidditch and </span>
  <span>practising</span>
  <span> flying with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hinata, do you know why Kageyama always rejects girls?"  </span>
  <span>o</span>
  <span>ne of his classmates asked, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> everyone </span>
  <span>stared</span>
  <span> at him since they knew Hinata was the closest to Kageyama, </span>
  <span>waiting</span>
  <span> for an answer.  Hinata hummed, pretending </span>
  <span>to think </span>
  <span>of </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> reason, but he </span>
  <span>clearly</span>
  <span> remembered a brief conversation </span>
  <span>he’d had</span>
  <span> with </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> after Kageyama's first confession.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He says he wants to focus on Quidditch."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone groaned, rolling their eyes and going back to their work, leaving Hinata a bit confused.  "What a lame excuse.  Who cares about a dumb sport when you have a cutie asking you out!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata wanted to protest and tell them that Kageyama had a good mindset.  They practise</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> Quidditch almost every day, even when Daichi didn't schedule the Gryffindor team to the field.  Kageyama always made sure </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>was on top of things, </span>
  <span>trying </span>
  <span>to fly the best and be receptive to </span>
  <span>all the</span>
  <span> different attacks the other teams could throw at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being the Seeker, Hinata was the make or break the game.  If he couldn't catch the snitch, then he was useless</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> since that was literally his only job.  So in order to impress Kageyama and make him proud, he practiced with him every day - </span>
  <span>which </span>
  <span>also gave him a reason to spend even more time with him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Another broken heart, hm?"  Hinata teased, the two </span>
  <span>now</span>
  <span> scarfing down food at </span>
  <span>dinnertime</span>
  <span>, not holding back.  They knew Daichi had booked the field for Quidditch practice that night, so if they didn't have enough food in their system they would definitely complain and then piss </span>
  <span>off</span>
  <span> a perfectly calm Daichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What're </span>
  <span>you</span>
  <span> talking about?"  Kageyama asked, almost angrily as he looked up at Hinata.  Hinata visibly shrunk, sputtering out a nervous laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, uh, we saw, uh, the confession.  The Hufflepuff girl...this afternoon</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  Hinata explained, wondering if it was a good idea to bring this up or not.  But Kageyama's face softened and he shrugged, not going into much detail about it.  Hinata </span>
  <span>sometimes</span>
  <span> wondered if Kageyama even knew who was confessing to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She was a year above us.  Couldn't be helped."  Hinata gaped at him, not believing it.  There were other grades that noticed Kageyama?  His competition was on a wider spectrum than he thought</span>
  <span>, a bead of sweat dropped</span>
  <span> down his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, is that so?  Wow...I'm jealous."  Hinata always made vague comments like this, </span>
  <span>which</span>
  <span> Kageyama easily interpreted as Hinata being jealous </span>
  <em>
    <span>of </span>
  </em>
  <span>him </span>
  <span>(to which he would reply with a sharp</span>
  <span>, “W</span>
  <span>hy?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span>) so that Hinata didn't look suspicious.  Of course he was jealous of all those girls who had the courage to confess to Kageyama!  One time he wondered if he was even in the right house because he was scared of something </span>
  <span>this small</span>
  <span> - it was just a crush, right?  And Kageyama was so cool, he would even reject Hinata in a cool way!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What're you thinking about?  Eat your food or else you won't grow."  Hinata's eyes narrowed, throwing some bread at Kageyama before</span>
  <span> shoving in another</span>
  <span> mouthful of food.  Stupid Kageyama and stupid heart for beating so loud.  It pissed him off just how much he liked him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Practice came and Daichi still wasn't there.  Even after about an hour of waiting, </span>
  <span>he didn’t show up</span>
  <span>.  No one was sure where he was, even o</span>
  <span>ther </span>
  <span>5th year Gryffindors assured them that Daichi </span>
  <span>had been</span>
  <span> in all of their classes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A little quieter, but he was there!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, he even chatted with me for a bit...maybe he's feeling sick?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Around the time they thought it </span>
  <span>would be</span>
  <span> a good idea to go check on him, one of the other 5th year Gryffindors, Bokuto, came in with his broom and the ball case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, hey, hey!  Daichi isn't feeling well right now, so I'm gonna lead practice.  Sounds good?  Don't worry, I'm confident I'm as good as Daichi!"</span>
</p><p><span>Bokuto was a friendly </span><span>upperclassman</span> <span>who was</span><span> always willing to help out people in younger grades.  He also ended up keeping his word, being as good </span><span>as</span><span> Daichi in leading and </span><span>getting</span><span> the team pumped, screaming cheers and words of encouragement.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, Noya!!  Hit them off their broom!  As much strength as you can!!"  He monitored the whole team, even Hinata</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who did training separately to practice catching the snitch.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mmm, let's practice with some Beaters," Bokuto suggested, knowing that Beaters </span>
  <span>aiming</span>
  <span> for the Seeker could sometimes be brutal.  Since Hinata was the smallest </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>eeker out of the </span>
  <span>four</span>
  <span> houses, he was an easy target.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I heard Ushijima is a </span>
  <span>B</span>
  <span>eater this year for Ravenclaw," Bokuto told Hinata, throwing balls at him and making him dodge them. They were doing this for over 30 minutes</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Hinata, insisted that they go somewhere else</span>
  <span>; otherwise</span>
  <span> he would </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> be staring at Kageyama the whole time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ushi...jima?"  Hinata hummed, unsure who </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> was.  The only people he knew from Ravenclaw </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> Kenma and the headmaster's son, Akaashi Keiji.  He wasn't sure if he should be worried, but if Bokuto was warning him then he must be a </span>
  <span>player</span>
  <span> to look out for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait, Bokuto-san, I have to go to the bathroom," Hinata whined, signalling Bokuto to stop throwing the balls at him, but Bokuto responded with a scream </span>
  <span>while throwing</span>
  <span> the balls </span>
  <span>even</span>
  <span> faster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No way!  You think the referee will stop the game for your bladder?!  Hold it in!!"  Bokuto threw the balls harder </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> with much more precision, taking Hinata by surprise and </span>
  <span>hitting him</span>
  <span> in the chest and face.  He had to take a few before he was back on track, dodging them much better for another 30 minutes.  By the end of practice though, Hinata really needed to piss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hinata-boke, where're </span>
  <span>you </span>
  <span>going?"  Kageyama screamed when he saw Hinata running inside, </span>
  <span>carelessly</span>
  <span> dropping his broom on the grass.  "Bathroom!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e </span>
  <span>shouted</span>
  <span> in reply, jogging since running would surely do something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bathroom, bathroom, come on.  I gotta fucking piss</span>
  </em>
  <span>…</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata </span>
  <span>roamed</span>
  <span> around the halls trying to find the nearest bathroom.  There should be one around, right?  There should be or else Hinata was actually going to piss right there on the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't realize he was on the Slytherin end of the</span>
  <span> castle</span>
  <span>, but it didn't matter because there was a boys</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span> bathroom and he had to pee so badly.  Right before he entered though, there were voices </span>
  <span>heading </span>
  <span>his direction.  He </span>
  <span>recognized</span>
  <span> them without even </span>
  <span>seeing </span>
  <span>who was talking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"-girls, you're gonna end up lonely and sad."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I won't be lonely</span>
  <span> if</span>
  <span> I have you, Iwa-chan!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata slowly turned his head</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> 5th year Slytherins Iwaizumi Hajime and Oikawa Tooru were walking </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> his direction.  The only reason he knew them by name was because they were on the Slytherin Quidditch team, Iwaizumi being a Beater and Oikawa being their Seeker.  They played really well</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too, and their matches always got </span>
  <span>so</span>
  <span> heated to the point where games would last </span>
  <span>for </span>
  <span>days.  Slytherin was the only team that could make Gryffindor work 10x as hard, at least from Hinata's experience this past year and a half.  Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were good too, but Slytherin always played like they were at war.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa and Iwaizumi stopped in front of him, looking straight</span>
  <span> ahead</span>
  <span>.  Their eyes were</span>
  <span> pointed</span>
  <span> in his direction, but they weren't looking at Hinata.  It was </span>
  <span>then that </span>
  <span>he realized there was someone behind him they were glaring at, and out of fear and curiosity he turned around as well to come face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>face with an even taller student. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tall, sharp eyes and </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> clenched jaw with a blue tie.  Ravenclaw?  He still made Hinata shake in his robes with nervousness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look, Iwa-chan.  Your fellow Beater dared show his face </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> Slytherin territory."  Hinata looked back at Oikawa,</span>
  <span> who was </span>
  <span>grinning </span>
  <span>wickedly</span>
  <span> while Iwaizumi just looked straight at him.  He then looked back at the Ravenclaw, now frantically looking back and forth between all three of them.  Did they even notice</span>
  <span> that</span>
  <span> Hinata </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> there?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <span>The l</span>
  <span>ast time I checked</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> school grounds belonged to all students," the Ravenclaw replied </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> a low voice, </span>
  <span>which made </span>
  <span>Hinata whimper inwardly.  "Slytherin or Hufflepuff, I can walk wherever I want."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Fucking hell,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> Hinata thought to himself. </span>
  <span> “</span>
  <span>I just want to pee.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes briefly but could feel a shadow </span>
  <span>cast over </span>
  <span>him.  He snapped his eyes open, gasping when he saw another tall figure.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tall, narrow eyes and silver hair with a...yellow tie?  Hufflepuffs could look like that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Careful what you say, Ushijima-san</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Iwaizumi joined in, looking dead at the Ravenclaw, Hinata remembering what Bokuto</span>
  <span> had </span>
  <span>mentioned about a new Beater on the Ravenclaw team.  So this was Ushijima.  There was definitely </span>
  <span>a reason</span>
  <span> to be scared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wouldn't want to show you our trophy while you're in the hospital."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata was sweating now, trying to back up </span>
  <span>into</span>
  <span> the bathroom, but it seemed like in this situation he was the Gryffindor representative.  If Daichi was here, he would probably confidently say that Gryffindor was going to win the Quidditch Cup and beat their asses.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>If only Daichi was </span>
  <span>here</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'd like to see Slytherin's Seeker beat </span>
  <span>Ravenclaw’s</span>
  <span>.  Last time I checked, your Seeker </span>
  <span>couldn’t </span>
  <span>even find the </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>nitch on his own."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"At least it hasn't been </span>
  <span>seven</span>
  <span> years since our house won the Quidditch Cup."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only other person not saying anything was the Hufflepuff, but with his frightening eyes, Hinata figured he didn't need to say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan is a Beater too, did you forget?  You know he's sent a whole team to the hospital before."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time the Hufflepuff spoke up, looking at the Slytherins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That is a big problem.  Even if you win, the safety of students should be the most important."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima</span>
  <span> looked</span>
  <span> over at the silver</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>haired Hufflepuff, then scoffed.  "I suppose.  But whether I end up in the hospital wing or not, if the win is mine then I have no regrets."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa smirked at </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span>.  "Ah, too bad you're not in Slytherin then."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone was staring at each other.  Hinata was pretty sure if he was their height, he would be joining </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> as well.  Remembering he was the representative of Gryffindor, with a shaky voice and as much confidence </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> he could </span>
  <span>muster </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he started to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We-Well, act-actually, Gry-Gryffindor has be-been practising-""Come on, Iwa-chan.  If I stay here too long I might actually rot."  The Slytherin pair </span>
  <span>started walking again</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> cutting their eyes at </span>
  <span>Ushijima.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Ushijima glared at the Hufflepuff as he passed him.  That left Hinata and the Hufflepuff alone together, Hinata still shaking in his spot, now not only because he needed to pee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn.  Why did it have to be the scariest one?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Hufflepuff was bringing out his hand, making Hinata flinch in </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> assumption that he was </span>
  <span>about </span>
  <span>to get hit.  Instead, the Hufflepuff was pointing right behind Hinata towards the bathroom door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you going in?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sputtering </span>
  <span>flusteredly</span>
  <span>, Hinata nodded, turning around quickly and running inside the bathroom.  The Hufflepuff didn't seem all that bad even though his eyes</span>
  <span> made him look</span>
  <span> like he was going to murder someone.  But he didn't have time to think about that when his bladder was so full right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they entered, another student was in there too.  A redhead Slytherin inspecting a </span>
  <span>vial</span>
  <span> of pink potion.  Hinata recognized it right away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Daichi-san..." The Slytherin's eyebrows furrowed </span>
  <span>when </span>
  <span>he heard the name, walking straight up to Hinata and coming face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>face with him.  It seemed like whatever this potion was, it was </span>
  <span>frustrating him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because in his other hand he </span>
  <span>held</span>
  <span> sketches and notes on the potion.  Hinata saw the name </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Amortentia</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> - he hadn't learned about </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What did you say?"  </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>he Slytherin asked aggressively, making Hinata squeak in fear.  Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Dai-Daichi-san!"  The Slytherin hissed, looking down at him, staring straight into his soul.  "Daichi?  Gryffindor Daichi?  This is his?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata </span>
  <span>hadn’t </span>
  <span>meant</span>
  <span> to throw Daichi under the bus like that, but that's how </span>
  <span>he’d been </span>
  <span>able to recognize it. He ended up stuttering </span>
  <span>without </span>
  <span>much confidence left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Suga-Sugawara-san!  Daichi-san was going to return it to Sugawara-san!"  His voice was squeaky and quiet, but the Slytherin heard it all the same.  He backed away from Hinata, gritting his teeth and looking at his notes </span>
  <span>again</span>
  <span>.  Hinata thought he heard </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>damn mudbloods</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> under his breath, but he decided not to address it, just wanting to go to the toilet already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tendou-san, this belongs to Akaashi-san</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>” </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>he Hufflepuff </span>
  <span>suddenly</span>
  <span> chimed in, </span>
  <span>his eyes on</span>
  <span> the potion</span>
  <span> in</span>
  <span> the Slytherin's hand.  Tendou furrowed his eyebrows, holding it up and letting the Hufflepuff look at it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You sure?  How do you know?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He asked me to smell it a few weeks ago," the Hufflepuff explained, keeping a straight face.  The Slytherin wasn't buying it yet though, so the three of them stood there, Hinata awkward now </span>
  <span>with </span>
  <span>his legs crossed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you open it then I can confirm."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This seemed to trigger Tendou more, shaking his head aggressively and clutching the potion tightly to his chest.  If it really belonged to Akaashi though, Hinata thought that he should return it.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He didn't say </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> out loud</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, no, I believe you," Tendou sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.  Hinata tried to slip past them to get to a urinal, but the two taller students were blocking his way and Hinata couldn't manage an </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>excuse me.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tendou looked down at Hinata, holding the potion to his face.  "Have you smelt it too?"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata's face went red, but he nodded in response, figuring that telling the truth would be the best option right now.  Tendou's jaw clenched </span>
  <span>and he</span>
  <span> shov</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> his face into Hinata's.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And?  What did you smell?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata's face went as red as his hair,</span>
  <span> colo</span>
  <span>u</span>
  <span>r spreading</span>
  <span> down to his neck.  Even if he said, they wouldn't understand.  He </span>
  <span>slowly bowed his head</span>
  <span>, not able to look him in the eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The...The person I love," he managed with a small voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apparently that was the response </span>
  <span>Tendou</span>
  <span> expected because he sighed in relief, nodding.  Tendou, it seemed, was having a hard time with this potion.  So Hinata spoke up, almost too eagerly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A potion that smelt like Kageyama?  He needed it!  He wanted to use it as a cologne maybe, or put it on his pillows before he slept.  That would definitely be a useful potion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you don't want it, I can take it off your-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No fucking way!"  Tendou hissed at him, yanking his hand away and </span>
  <span>holding</span>
  <span> the potion out of Hinata's reach.  "Get your own!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata's eyebrows furrowed, frowning up at Tendou, clenching his fists.  Now he wanted the potion even more </span>
  <span>after he confirmed that </span>
  <span>it was the potion that smelt like Kageyama.  Tendou probably didn't even know it did that! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you serious?  What are you even using it for?"  Hinata yelled aggressively, reaching</span>
  <span> up</span>
  <span> in </span>
  <span>an </span>
  <span>attempt to snatch it out of his hand, but Tendou dodged </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>attack swiftly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oi, don't take things that don't belong to you, kid.  That's called 'stealing.</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>"  His worried expression turned into a cockier one</span>
  <span> as he smirked</span>
  <span> a bit down at Hinata.  The Hufflepuff, however, backed Hinata up, literally standing </span>
  <span>right</span>
  <span> behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think if it belongs to Akaashi-san, we should give it back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Slytherin scoffed, shaking his head and shoving it </span>
  <span>into </span>
  <span>his pocket, </span>
  <span>already </span>
  <span>beginning to exit the bathroom.  "No way!  This potion is mine.  If Akaashi-san was so smart, he would just make another one!"  Of course he just had to stick his tongue out at them</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata gritted his teeth, wanting to attack Tendou again for his sudden bold talk, but the Hufflepuff grabbed his arm firmly, holding him back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let go!  I need that potion!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you hurt him first</span>
  <span>, then </span>
  <span>you might end up in a </span>
  <span>bad </span>
  <span>condition."  It was a bone</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>chilling warning that Hinata took seriously.   He nodded reassuringly, waiting till the Hufflepuff let go of him before walking past him to get to a fucking urinal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Damn.  I was holding that in for too long.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Hinata was washing his hands, another student entered the bathroom.  Scared it was another Slytherin, Hinata looked </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span> to see who it was, but to his relief it was just another Hufflepuff </span>
  <span>with </span>
  <span>green hair </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> freckles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Aone-san, I was looking for you."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Oh, Yamaguchi."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The green</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>haired Hufflepuff didn't pay much attention to Hinata as </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>passed them, exiting the bathroom.  But Hinata could've sworn that as he passed by, the Hufflepuff named Yamaguchi smelled faintly of Kageyama.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused for a moment, trying to get a good whiff, but he left </span>
  <span>so</span>
  <span> fast that he couldn't confirm it completely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure you should be on the Slytherin side of the school?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e heard Aone ask Yamaguchi as he left, but couldn't hear the reply.  Hinata really wished he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> stayed a little longer to see if this Yamaguchi kid actually did possess the same scent</span>
  <span> as</span>
  <span> Kageyama, or if Hinata was just going crazy in love.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this point, he was just glad he got to go to the bathroom.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Kageyama</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N - In case any of you are confused : Amortentia is a love potion that makes you smell the person/thing you love the most (whether you know it or not).  It is very powerful, and I do plan on going more into, like how it works and what you're supposed to do with it, in future chapters!<br/>Thank you :D !</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kageyama Tobio</p><p>3rd Year</p><p>Pure Blood</p><p>Gryffindor</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kageyama was very confident he was in love with the dumbest person </span>
  <span>on </span>
  <span>the face of the earth.  Not just dumb academically (he didn't think there could be someone who could get a lower mark than him in Muggle Studies (especially when they had a muggle parent</span>
  <span> themself</span>
  <span>?)) but oblivious dumb</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> like he couldn't take the hint that Kageyama ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been spending his time 24/7 with them and literally focuse</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> all of his attention on him.  To be fair</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, it </span>
  <span>wasn’t </span>
  <span>like Kageyama </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>actually said he liked them - in fact, he ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't even said anything remotely sweet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembered the first day of Hogwarts and how they </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> ended up sitting </span>
  <span>together </span>
  <span>on the train ride, the small orange-haired boy overly </span>
  <span>excited</span>
  <span> about getting the letter.  How he wasn't sure he would since only his mom could do magic, but he wanted to make her proud anyway because they still weren't sure if his little sister would get in.  His enthusiasm and energy </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>too much that Kageyama thought he was going to burst.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm Hinata Shouyou</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> by the way!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh...I'm Kageyama.  Kageyama Tobio."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sorting took place hours later, Kageyama having lost Hinata in the crowd easily, but he didn't put an effort </span>
  <span>into </span>
  <span>finding him.  It wasn't until Hinata was called up to be sorted when Kageyama noticed just how genuine his emotions must have been on the train.  The excited smile he wore while talking about his sister was the same as when the hat was </span>
  <span>placed</span>
  <span> on him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Gryffindor!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The whole table </span>
  <span>wearing</span>
  <span> red and yellow cheered loudly, </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>Hinata jump</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> excitedly as well.  It was </span>
  <span>only for </span>
  <span>a brief moment, but Hinata caught Kageyama's gaze and waved at him, a big gesture that Kageyama didn't know could be so </span>
  <span>overdramatic</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama just turned away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When it was his turn to </span>
  <span>be</span>
  <span> sorted, all of a sudden he was nervous.  Before</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>he didn't care which house he </span>
  <span>ended</span>
  <span> up in, just wanting to go to the best wizarding school there was.  Even if he was sure his grades </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> shit, he was more excited to play Quidditch with other players and not just lamely play </span>
  <span>by </span>
  <span>himself in his backyard.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now, he really wanted to be in Gryffindor.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hmm," he could hear the hat thinking.  Apparently the </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>orting </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>at couldn't be heard by anyone else but the person wearing it until it screamed the assigned house out loud.  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Mind of a Slytherin...Clever, cunning, skillful.  You would be a good fit.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama gulped, closing his eyes and shaking his head ever so slightly.  "Please," he whispered softly, opening his eyes a crack to look at Hinata.  The small boy was staring anxiously at him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Gryffindor."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was </span>
  <span>a small</span>
  <span> silence, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> Kageyama </span>
  <span>held </span>
  <span>his breath as he heard the hat getting ready to announce it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"GRYFFINDOR!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The whole Gryffindor table cheered, Hinata jumping in his seat.  Kageyama made his way </span>
  <span>towards</span>
  <span> him, sitting next to him as Hinata hugged him tightly.  The gesture made him blush, but he ignored the feeling in the moment and dismissed it as nervousness for the school year.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Summer before 2nd year, Kageyama explained how Quidditch worked.  After a whole year of Hinata getting used to magic and Hogwarts, letting him sulk about the amount of homework they ended up having and their exams, Kageyama decided it was time to introduce him to his favourite sport.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata had to save up for a broom, but Kageyama supplied the balls and the field.  They met </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span> that summer, making sure they were in an empty field where no muggles could spot them</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>or else they really would get into big trouble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Teaching Hinata how to play was Kageyama's favourite memory so far.  The frustrated look</span>
  <span> on his face </span>
  <span>when he wasn't as good as Kageyama.  How he got shocked when the ball hit him in the face.  Not being able to catch the balls properly at first so Kageyama always won their one-on-one matches.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then that excited look Hinata </span>
  <span>got </span>
  <span>when Kageyama let out the </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>nitch </span>
  <span>for the first time</span>
  <span> and Hinata caught it with such precision </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> almost as fast </span>
  <span>a </span>
  <span>record time </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> any Seeker at Hogwarts.  That's when he knew they both had to make it </span>
  <span>onto</span>
  <span> the Quidditch team their 2nd year, or else Kageyama </span>
  <span>would</span>
  <span> really explode.</span>
</p><p><span>So their 2nd school year came and both Kageyama and Hinata tried out.  Hinata was an easy pass since not many people were skilled enough </span><span>to be </span><span>a Seeker </span><span>-</span><span> Hinata </span><span>caught </span><span>the </span><span>S</span><span>nitch within 10 minutes.  To be fair, there wasn't an opposing team attacking him</span><span>,</span> <span>which </span><span>definitely made things easier, but the team captain Daichi assured Hinata that under 10 minutes was insanely fast and Hinata could definitely </span><span>improve</span><span> from there.</span></p><p><span>Kageyama trying out for Chaser was a little more difficult since lots of people were trying out for the position.  Daichi claimed he saw a lot of potential in </span><span>him</span><span>,</span> <span>though, making Kageyama the only 2nd year Chaser.  They celebrated making the team by treating themselves to a homework-less evening, just talking about Quidditch and how they thought the rest of the school year would go.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I want to turn sharper.  Someone told me that having a wide turn </span>
  <span>would </span>
  <span>cost us points, but it's kinda hard for me.  That's what I'm going to work on this year," Kageyama told Hinata as they read a Quidditch magazine together, admiring the newest broom that </span>
  <span>had just come</span>
  <span> out that year.  Hinata looked over at Kageyama, a blank expression on his face, maybe even a little surprised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But I think you fly</span>
  <span> well</span>
  <span>," Hinata said, no sign of sarcasm or mocking.  He was completely serious.  "You look so cool whenever I look over at you.  Sometimes I think I'm gonna fall off my broom."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He was sure that's when the fighting started.  When Kageyama realized the dumb feelings he had, the way his heart raced whenever Hinata</span>
  <span> got</span>
  <span> too close to him, that ugly jealous feeling whenever Nishinoya </span>
  <span>touched</span>
  <span> him a little too much, how he would think about Hinata constantly - yeah, Kageyama couldn't handle it that well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really was about to explode.</span>
</p><p><span>"What're you doing?"  Kageyama asked angrily as Hinata tried to get into his bed </span><span>on</span><span> Halloween </span><span>night</span> <span>their 2nd year</span><span>.  A scared, whimpering Hinata pushed himself against Kageyama on Kageyama’s bed.</span></p><p><span>"I heard the 7th years pull pranks on Halloween night," Hinata whispered, hugging Kageyama tightly</span><span>,</span><span> which made Kageyama both unspeakably uncomfortable and unsettling-ly the comfiest he'</span><span>d</span><span> been in years.  </span><span><br/></span><span>"Come on.  We slept together so many times in our 1st year."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Do-Don't bring that up!"  Kageyama was glad it was dark out</span><span>,</span><span> or else his blush would </span><span>have been </span><span>too noticeable.  Not</span> <span>saying much anymore, he let Hinata sleep with him that night, praying Hinata </span><span>couldn't</span><span> hear his heartbeat despite being pressed so </span><span>close</span><span> to it.  The next morning</span><span>,</span><span> Kageyama had to get up first and take a cold shower</span><span>. He didn’t</span><span> look Hinata in the </span><span>eye</span><span> for the whole day.</span></p><p>
  <span>What he never found out was that the 7th years in fact did not pull pranks on Halloween night.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their 3rd year was Hinata's younger sister's 1st year, and the excitement Hinata </span>
  <span>felt</span>
  <span> for her was so bright</span>
  <span> that</span>
  <span> Kageyama had to squint.  Their fights that started in 2nd year had only escalated, </span>
  <span>now</span>
  <span> swearing at each other and deliberately trying to piss </span>
  <span>each</span>
  <span> other off.  They fought and fought, and Hinata ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> even asked multiple times why Kageyama hated him so much, but Kageyama never responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You dumb fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> he would think to himself.  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I spend all my time with you, don't I?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The excitement Hinata had for his sister almost made Kageyama jealous, especially when he realized Hinata would probably spend a lot of his time showing her around and making her feel comfortable.  The thought made him clench his fist, but no one else saw.  When the </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>orting </span>
  <span>started</span>
  <span>, Hinata propped himself </span>
  <span>up </span>
  <span>on his knees to see what was happening</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Kageyama watched behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Not Gryffindor.  Come on, not Gryffindor…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hinata Natsu!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata watched eagerly as his sister went to the seat, the hat </span>
  <span>lowered </span>
  <span>onto her </span>
  <span>head</span>
  <span>.  There was a </span>
  <span>short</span>
  <span> silence and Kageyama swore</span>
  <span> that</span>
  <span> the hat glanced in their very direction - either he was looking at Hinata's anxious expression or Kageyama's sour one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please not Gryffindor.  Not Gryffindor</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hufflepuff!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata gasped, his eyes wide and mouth </span>
  <span>gaping</span>
  <span> open before he slumped down on his seat, looking a little defeated.  Kageyama had to suppress a smirk, knowing that Hinata </span>
  <span>had been</span>
  <span> really excited for Natsu to be a Gryffindor with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"At least she's not a Slytherin," he offered.  The comment was worth the earnest smile it </span>
  <span>prompted from</span>
  <span> Hinata.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>"Honestly, he couldn't even come back for his fucking broom," Kageyama growled to himself.  After Quidditch practice, everyone left to</span><span> return</span> <span>to</span><span> their dorms</span><span>,</span><span> but Kageyama stayed, thinking Hinata </span><span>would </span><span>come back</span><span> for </span><span>his broom.  It'</span><span>d</span><span> been 30 minutes and he still wasn't back.  </span></p><p>
  <span>"Whatever," Kageyama huffed as he stomped back into the school, grumbling and cursing under his breath.  "If he wants his fucking broom he'll have to come to me to get it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew Hinata would freak when he</span>
  <span> saw </span>
  <span>that his broom wasn't on the field and come running to Kageyama in a state of panic.  Then Kageyama would have to </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>help him find it</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> Kageyama </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>magically </span>
  <span>found</span>
  <span> it</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  <span> Hinata </span>
  <span>would become </span>
  <span>overly excited and all over Kageyama once more.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Then they would have another fight that would remind Kageyama that Hinata was convinced Kageyama hated his guts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Honestly, what is it?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e heard someone growl as he turned </span>
  <span>down the hallway</span>
  <span>, subconsciously looking for Hinata.  When he got closer, he recognized </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span> right away, both of them being in his year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi Tadashi, Hufflepuff, currently on the floor and covering his face.  By the looks of it, something had spilled, pink liquid covering part of the hallway floor </span>
  <span>along with some</span>
  <span> broken glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima Kei, Slytherin, was hovering over him, an angry look on his face as he pointed his wand straight at Yamaguchi's neck.  His jaw was clenched and it didn't seem like Tsukishima noticed Kageyama's presence because he didn't bother to turn when Kageyama </span>
  <span>approached</span>
  <span> them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tell me before I blast your neck!""I-I told you, I don't know!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama cocked his head at the scene, watching as Yamaguchi helplessly shook in </span>
  <span>place</span>
  <span>, apparently not thinking </span>
  <span>of taking </span>
  <span>his own wand out.  What was the point of having the thing if he wasn't going to use it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could smell it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> of course - Hinata.  It was Hinata's scent that </span>
  <span>emanated</span>
  <span> from the potion.</span>
</p><p><span>The first time </span><span>he </span><span>ever encountered Amortentia was when he</span><span> watched</span><span> the Slytherin Oikawa </span><span>make </span><span>it - </span><span>Kageyama in his 1st year and Oikawa in his 3rd.</span><span> Oikawa claimed </span><span>that</span><span> it was to make the love of his life </span><span>confess</span><span>, because apparently Oikawa ha</span><span>d</span><span> been waiting </span><span>“</span><span>too goddamn long.</span><span>”</span> <span><br/></span><span>So he </span><span>hadn’t been</span><span> shocked when he saw Daichi holding it.</span></p><p>
  <span>Being in his 1st year of school, Kageyama didn't smell much.  Just something basic, like the wood of his broom and hot chocolate.  But he was told by Oikawa that it was a complex spell that not many people could </span>
  <span>make</span>
  <span> on the first try, and Oikawa was way too eager when he finally perfected it.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Apparently it was a bad idea for Kageyama to ask him to teach him because Oikawa flipped and never talked to him after that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't understand why at the time, but in his 3rd year he finally realized what must have been the reason - Oikawa didn't make it right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Tsukishima</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kageyama walked towards them,</span>
  <span> staring </span>
  <span>straight at Tsukishima.  "If you're going to be an asshole, at least be quiet about it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't Kageyama's goal to stand up for Yamaguchi.  He just happened to hate Tsukishima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cocky, arrogant, know-it-all and a Slytherin </span>
  <span>to boot </span>
  <span>- he was like Oikawa but not pretty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It pissed him off whenever Tsukishima ma</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>e some cocky remark about how Kageyama's name wasn't even on the exam results because his mark was that </span>
  <span>low</span>
  <span>, or how if he wanted to be a good Quidditch player he should've invested more money on his skills instead of his broom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then that stupid nickname </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Your Highness</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> came about when he found out Kageyama was rich.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> look here.  Aren't I lucky to be graced by such </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> presence," Tsukishima replied sarcastically, standing up straight and letting go of Yamaguchi.  Yamaguchi let out a loud exhale, probably a breath he</span>
  <span>’d been</span>
  <span> holding in the whole time he was being held.  Kageyama just glared at him.  "Didn't know his Highness made rounds around his castle.  Thinking of beheading some of your subjects?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama clenched his fist but didn't respond at first, </span>
  <span>stepping </span>
  <span>up to Tsukishima so </span>
  <span>now</span>
  <span> they were face-to-face.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"All I'm saying is, if you wanna bark like a little bitch at least bite like one</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima's jaw tightened</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>hiring his glasses then putting his wand away and stepping aside, walking past Kageyama. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Careful, your Highness.  Bow any lower and your crown just might fall off."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama waited for Tsukishima to </span>
  <span>fade</span>
  <span> completely out of sight before he tended to Yamaguchi, helping him up.  It seemed like the potion </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>spilled </span>
  <span>onto </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi's robes as well, seeing how his chest was a little damp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You gotta stand up for yourself," Kageyama told him, using a drought spell to get the potion out of Yamaguchi's robes.  "You won't </span>
  <span>get </span>
  <span>rescued every time.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Reparo</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama fixed the potion bottle and refilled it with the Amortentia that</span>
  <span> had </span>
  <span>spilled, handing it back to Yamaguchi.  The Hufflepuff was clearly flustered, bowing in thanks </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> then laugh</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, well.  I'll take my chances."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama found it odd when people just let others walk </span>
  <span>all over</span>
  <span> them like that.  But when he thought about Hinata and how he let </span>
  <span>him </span>
  <span>attack him all the time whether physically or </span>
  <span>verbally</span>
  <span>, he sort of understood.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Thanks again</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Yamaguchi smiled at him, then </span>
  <span>walked</span>
  <span> off and </span>
  <span>headed into</span>
  <span> the bathroom, </span>
  <span>which </span>
  <span>Hinata was </span>
  <span>coincidentally</span>
  <span> coming out of</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.   Kageyama's eyes widened, completely forgetting what just happened and focusing on Hinata once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oi, boke!  You forgot your dumb broom at the front!"<br/></span>
  <span>"You got it?!  Wow, thanks!  Didn't think a rude jerk like you would've."<br/></span>
  <span>"Dumb fucking idiot!  You want me to throw it out the window next?"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Yamaguchi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yamaguchi Tadashi</p><p>3rd Year</p><p>Pure Blood</p><p>Hufflepuff</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was a wizard - barely.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi's parents were powerful magicfolk working high positions in the Ministry of Magic's law enforcement, and were well</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>respected by </span>
  <span>many</span>
  <span> different wizards and witches in the </span>
  <span>wizarding</span>
  <span> world.  It wasn't wrong to expect Yamaguchi to be the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's </span>
  <span>how </span>
  <span>he met Tsukishima</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> the son of a </span>
  <span>high-</span>
  <span>ranking man who worked with Yamaguchi's parents.  When </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> found out they had a son Tsukishima's age, it was like they were forced to be together all the time.  Both kids </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>expected to be powerful wizards when they grew up, studying at no less a </span>
  <span>prestigious</span>
  <span> school </span>
  <span>than </span>
  <span>Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two</span>
  <span> had been</span>
  <span> friends since they were babies - sort of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was no question that Yamaguchi took a very strong liking to Tsukishima, following him around </span>
  <span>as soon as he was old enough to </span>
  <span>walk.  And </span>
  <span>although</span>
  <span> Tsukishima </span>
  <span>never stopped</span>
  <span> him, it wasn't like the blond baby ever showed </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> liking to Yamaguchi, always </span>
  <span>walking</span>
  <span> in front of him or staying </span>
  <span>silent </span>
  <span>when they </span>
  <span>sat next to</span>
  <span> each other.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It was very clear </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi liked Tsukishima way more than Tsukishima liked Yamaguchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima was a natural at magic, able to make glass break when he was angry and flowers bloom when he was happy at the age of 7.  He got his Hogwarts letter at midnight </span>
  <span>on</span>
  <span> his 11th birthday, staying up all night to wait for it and eager to show off to Yamaguchi since he would be getting it first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was quite the opposite.  In fact, all the way till 11 years old, Yamaguchi wasn't able to do anything remotely magic.  Whenever he expressed different emotions nothing crazy would happen like with Tsukishima.  Tsukishima's dad told him that some wizards were late bloomers, reassuring him that Hogwarts would give him the best lessons and</span>
  <span> that</span>
  <span> one day he would be as powerful as his parents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Yamaguchi's 11th birthday came and he didn't receive a letter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The possibility of being a Squib - someone born from magic but not </span>
  <span>magical themself </span>
  <span>- never occurred to Yamaguchi, always assuming that he just needed some practises or lessons.  But now that it was obvious </span>
  <span>and he hadn’t gotten </span>
  <span>a letter from Hogwarts, he felt like his life was </span>
  <span>crumbling </span>
  <span>down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>7 years without Tsuki? </span>
  <span>Disappointing </span>
  <span>his parents?  Embarrassing his whole family?  His life was basically over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You'll write to me, right?"  Yamaguchi asked Tsukishima, insisting he be there when they dropped him off at the train station to Hogwarts.  Tsukishima gave Yamaguchi a side glance and shrugged.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"As much as I can."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That whole school year Yamaguchi didn't get a letter from Tsuki.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>To </span>
  <span>this day</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> his parents</span>
  <span> never answered</span>
  <span> the question</span>
  <span>, “H</span>
  <span>ow did I end up </span>
  <span>at </span>
  <span>Hogwarts?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> properly.  He was sure </span>
  <span>they’d gotten</span>
  <span> some strings pulled since they worked in the Ministry of Magic, but </span>
  <span>he never got </span>
  <span>a straight answer when he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <span>The letter </span>
  <span>probably just got lost when they were delivering it.  Don't worry."</span>
</p><p><span>Yamaguchi didn't worry, because now he was at Hogwarts!  A whole school year with Tsukishima!  A time of magic and fun, and even though he was starting </span><span>a year late</span><span>, he was sure he wouldn't be too far behind.  His parents made him study all the 1st year material the summer before he started, the headmaster let Yamaguchi be sorted separately so no one would ask questions</span><span>.</span><span> Yamaguchi moved into the 2nd </span><span>year</span><span> dormitories quietly, </span><span>and not</span> <span>many students </span><span>asked why </span><span>they didn't recognize his face.</span></p><p>
  <span>Of course he was a little disappointed when he wasn't</span>
  <span> sorted into </span>
  <span>the same house as Tsukishima, but that didn't stop him from trying to see him all the time.  He didn't have that many friends in Hufflepuff, and people didn't seem to pay attention to him</span>
  <span>, not that he minded </span>
  <span>at all.  Getting to Tsukishima was difficult though considering how big the castle was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His timetable was a lifesaver because Hufflepuffs and Slytherins </span>
  <span>ended up having </span>
  <span>Transfiguration together, and Tsukishima </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> in his class.  He quickly learned that </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> houses sat seperately, but he </span>
  <span>still </span>
  <span>tried his best to sit near Tsukishima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsuki," Yamaguchi whispered, trying to get his attention.  When it seemed that Tsukishima didn't hear, Yamaguchi tried again.  "Tsuki!  It's me!"  Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>waved a</span>
  <span> little and saw Tsukishima clench his jaw, making Yamaguchi slightly confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yamaguchi-san!  Eyes up here!"  Professor Washijou of the </span>
  <span>Transfiguration</span>
  <span> class snapped, slamming his papers on the desk.  Yamaguchi flinched and </span>
  <span>faced </span>
  <span>forward again, focusing on the lesson, but he could hear faint whispers from the Slytherin side of the classroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsukishima, you know that kid?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"No.  Not really."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi tried to find Tsukishima </span>
  <span>again during lunch</span>
  <span>, finding it quite difficult </span>
  <span>with </span>
  <span>all </span>
  <span>four</span>
  <span> houses together.  He finally </span>
  <span>spotted</span>
  <span> him, the blond hair and glasses giving him away, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> ran up to the Slytherin table waving excitedly at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsuki!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e greeted him </span>
  <span>eagerly</span>
  <span>, all </span>
  <span>of </span>
  <span>the Slytherins</span>
  <span> turning</span>
  <span> their heads </span>
  <span>to glare </span>
  <span>at him</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e was pretty sure he </span>
  <span>even</span>
  <span> heard one of them hissing.  Tsukishima didn't look up from the table</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, staring down at his food and pretending Yamaguchi wasn't there.  So Yamaguchi tried again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wanted to know if maybe you wanted to eat lunch together?  Headmaster Akaashi said I could sneak in some strawberry shortcake for lunch."</span>
</p><p><span>Tsukishima's face went red as some of the</span> <span>Slytherins snickered at the words, looking over at Tsukishima and teasing him.  </span></p><p>
  <span>"Aww, gonna eat cake with your Hufflepuff?  That's cute.  Save me a slice, won't you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima stood up, shoving his plate forward and storming off to the exit.  Yamaguchi's eyes widened in shock </span>
  <span>and he tried </span>
  <span>to follow </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, but the blond turned </span>
  <span>so</span>
  <span> suddenly</span>
  <span> that they were</span>
  <span> face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>face, so close they could feel each other breathing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll tell you this once</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Yamaguchi gulped as Tsukishima spoke to him.  This was the first time Tsukishima </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> actually looked at him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Don't approach me here.  We're not friends at Hogwarts.  Just stay in your house and I'll stay in mine.  Got it?"  Without even waiting for a reply, Tsukishima left Yamaguchi</span>
  <span> standing</span>
  <span> there, stunned and sad.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The third try wasn't until midterms, </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>finally</span>
  <span> made one friend in Hufflepuff. </span>
  
  <span>Aone Takanobu, who wasn't approached often because of his intimidating </span>
  <span>looks</span>
  <span>, but introduced himself when he offered to help Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>with </span>
  <span>his Herbology report.  Yamaguchi found </span>
  <span>out</span>
  <span> that the scary</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>looking 3rd year was in fact not scary at all.  So they quickly became friends and Yamaguchi was able to confide in him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait, your boyfriend's a Slytherin?"  Yamaguchi asked in awe when Aone admitted </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> started dating someone recently.  When going into the details, Yamaguchi couldn't believe his ears.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"And he came onto you first?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yes.  I was shocked, but happy.  He treats me nicely and tells me I'm cute."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>So Slytherins and Hufflepuffs </span>
  </em>
  <span>can</span>
  <em>
    <span> be friends</span>
  </em>
  <span>,”</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi thought, excited at </span>
  <span>this </span>
  <span>new information.  This whole time</span>
  <span> he’d </span>
  <span>thought he had to avoid Tsukishima because </span>
  <span>they were in </span>
  <span>different houses, but once Tsukishima </span>
  <span>hears</span>
  <span> that different houses could get along - </span>
  <span>and even</span>
  <span> date! - there wouldn't be a problem!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found Tsukishima at the library studying with other Slytherins, but he </span>
  <span>was too happy</span>
  <span> to care.  He went up to</span>
  <span> him</span>
  <span>, a </span>
  <span>bright </span>
  <span>smile on his face - he felt like he hadn't seen him in forever!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsuki!  You'll never guess what I heard to-""Well</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> look here.  Your Hufflepuff pet found you</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>o</span>
  <span>ne of the Slytherins snickered, looking at Yamaguchi with amusement.  Tsukishima ignored them, flipping a page in his </span>
  <span>textbook</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi felt his stomach </span>
  <span>twist</span>
  <span>, but he didn't stop.  </span>
  <span>He’d come </span>
  <span>all the way here and he wasn't going to let a few mean kids stop him!</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Tsuki, I heard-""Don't waste your breath.  This smartass know-it-all doesn't even </span>
  <span>talk to </span>
  <span>other Slytherins, </span>
  <span>no less</span>
  <span> a Hufflepuff."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima didn't react again, which</span>
  <span> made</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>feel </span>
  <span>irritated.  "Tsuki isn't like that!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e burst out, not liking it when someone</span>
  <span> badmouthed </span>
  <span>Tsukishima.  Any </span>
  <span>bad</span>
  <span> words about Tsukishima, it pissed him off.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Tsuki is smart and cool!  You can't say things like that about him!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Slytherins all stood up except for Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi found out just how tall they all were.  They looked down at him before one of them pushed him, taking Yamaguchi by surprise so </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> he ended up falling.  They all gave him dirty </span>
  <span>looks and snarled</span>
  <span> at him and Yamaguchi couldn't understand.  Were all houses like this to each other?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What would a Squib like you know?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The name made Yamaguchi's eyes go wide, his whole body</span>
  <span> tense</span>
  <span>.   The Slytherins left before he could do anything, but </span>
  <span>it </span>
  <span>even didn't matter because Yamaguchi couldn't say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How did they know he was a Squib?  Only the headmaster knew, and </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> made sure that no one at Hogwarts found out.  And Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>surely </span>
  <span>wasn't telling anyone.  The only other person he could think of was-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You told them?"  There were tears in Yamaguchi's eyes threatening to </span>
  <span>spill</span>
  <span> out.  </span>
  <span>Tsukishima </span>
  <span>finally lifted his head, sighing in annoyance</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but his face quickly changed when he saw </span>
  <span>how hurt Yamaguchi looked</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Only you know besides me and the headmaster," Yamaguchi explained, his voice choking up.  "You told them?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only Tsukishima knew besides Yamaguchi and the headmaster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only Tsukishima knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You...really did?"  Yamaguchi stood up, biting his lip so he wouldn't start crying</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then ran out of the library, not </span>
  <span>giving</span>
  <span> Tsukishima a chance to call out </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>him.  Was he even going to call out </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> him?  Everything leading up to this</span>
  <span> had been </span>
  <span>warning signs that Tsukishima didn't care if Yamaguchi cried</span>
  <span> alone</span>
  <span> by himself every night, wondering why Tsukishima wasn't talking to him, or wouldn't say anything if all of a sudden Yamaguchi wasn't talking to him, or even worry in the slightest that Yamaguchi's 1st year at Hogwarts was harder than he thought and now he was getting harassed by a bunch of Slytherins.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi ended up crying in the bathroom.  2nd year (which was still technically his 1st) was a </span>
  <span>shitshow</span>
  <span> and Yamaguchi was the star.  He hated not knowing anyone.  He hated not being able to talk to Tsukishima.  He hated that he wasn't the powerful wizard son that his parents deserved.  He hated it all and he wanted to go home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When 8 o'clock came and there was an announcement </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> all students needed to go back to their common rooms, Yamaguchi finally left the stall.  There was another student there, but he didn't </span>
  <span>care</span>
  <span>, just trying to get out so he wouldn't cause any trouble.  Taking some tissue and wiping his eyes, Yamaguchi looked in the mirror to </span>
  <span>assess</span>
  <span> the damage - he looked like shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you alright?"  The other student came up to Yamaguchi.  He was big, tall, </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>even had facial hair and long hair </span>
  <span>in a bun</span>
  <span>.  Yamaguchi would have been scared if it weren't for the yellow sweater he wore that </span>
  <span>signalled</span>
  <span> he was a Hufflepuff too. </span>
</p><p><span>Yamaguchi just nodded, offering a small smile.  "Uh, yeah.  Just...midterms," he lied, chuckling nervously.  The </span><span>older </span><span>Hufflepuff nodded, not buying it but </span><span>not asking</span> <span>any more</span><span> questions after that.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Let's go to the common room together then," he offered</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>was </span>
  <span>a bit stunned</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> nodded.  He figured someone from your own house would be a little bit nicer than someone from another, so he accepted the kindness and followed his fellow Hufflepuff down the hallway towards the Hufflepuff tower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why're </span>
  <span>you</span>
  <span> walking behind me?"  Yamaguchi was shocked at the question, gulping and shrinking because he felt like </span>
  <span>he’d done</span>
  <span> something wrong.  When there was no answer, the taller Hufflepuff just smiled and gestured </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Walk beside me.  So it'll be easier to talk to you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi's eyes widened </span>
  <span>but</span>
  <span> he </span>
  <span>nodded </span>
  <span>quickly, rushing up </span>
  <span>beside</span>
  <span> his new acquaintance, feeling sort of nice that </span>
  <span>he’d been</span>
  <span> invited to walk beside someone instead of trailing behind.  Aone was another exception, but since he was so tall, his steps ended up being bigger and Yamaguchi always fell behind eventually.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm Asahi, by the way.  Azumane Asahi.  I'm a 4th year, so be sure to ask me any questions if you need anything."  Yamaguchi beamed at the offer, nodding in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yamaguchi Tadashi, 2nd year.  It's really nice to meet you."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That's when Yamaguchi learned that there were other people </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> Hogwarts besides Tsukishima.  Asahi knew Nishinoya, a Gryffindor, and Nishinoya knew Tanaka, another Gryffindor, and next thing he knew he was introduced to a whole plethora of Gryffindors and</span>
  <span> suddenly </span>
  <span>he had more friends.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tanaka introduced him to Daichi and Daichi introduced him to Bokuto and Bokuto introduced him to Akaashi and Akaashi introduced him to Kenma and now Yamaguchi had all kinds of </span>
  <span>friends</span>
  <span> all over Hogwarts in different years and different houses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> never been more social in his life!  He realized summer was approaching soon and he'</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>made his friends a little too late, but he didn't mind at all!  Because he would come </span>
  <span>back</span>
  <span> in his 3rd year and everyone would</span>
  <span> still</span>
  <span> be there.</span>
</p><p><span>Summer ended up being fun too.  Everyone wrote like they said they would and Yamaguchi had </span><span>tons</span><span> of letters coming in </span><span>every day</span><span>.  His parents were ecstatic when they saw just how many owls came to drop off letters</span><span>:</span><span> Kenma even </span><span>sent</span><span> him a snow globe</span> <span>when he went to Romania.  It was the most exciting summer of his life, and Tsukishima was barely in it.</span></p><p>
  <span>"We're having dinner with the</span>
  <span> Tsukishima family.  </span>
  <span>Best clothes, come on," his mother told him and Yamaguchi tensed, unsure how to react because he didn't want to face Tsukishima when he was having </span>
  <span>such</span>
  <span> an amazing summer already.  But his mom insisted, telling him it would be fun and Tsukishima would probably be excited to see him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Yeah</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, how was your 2nd year at Hogwarts?"  Tsukishima's dad asked, everyone sitting at the table and </span>
  <span>engaging</span>
  <span> in small talk.  It was like everyone was </span>
  <span>ignoring </span>
  <span>the fact that this was actually Yamaguchi's 1st year, but he didn't mind because it made things a lot less awkward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It was fun.  I made a lot of friends this year," Yamaguchi said cheerfully, his dad practically beaming</span>
  <span> at</span>
  <span> him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's right, Tsukishima-san.  He's been getting all these letters from friends everywhere!  Nice to see him come out of his shell</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>hey all laughed, Yamaguchi turning red at the comments, but he liked how other people were noticing that he was getting quite popular.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oi, Kei.  You took care of him this year like I asked you to?"  Yamaguchi's eyes went wide as Tsukishima stood up</span>
  <span> and left</span>
  <span> the dinner table, his expression unreadable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima </span>
  <span>had been</span>
  <span> asked to take care of Yamaguchi?  Well, he didn't do a great job </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima's dad sighed as he watched his son charge off, shaking his head.  "He's been so moody lately...I'm not sure what to do anymore."  Yamaguchi's parents just laughed and shook their </span>
  <span>heads</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Teenagers.  We're lucky our little Dashi-chan is a bit of a late bloomer."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>3rd year finally came and Yamaguchi was ready to see everyone again.  Asahi's hair </span>
  <span>had gotten</span>
  <span> even longer</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Nishinoya </span>
  <span>now </span>
  <span>had a blond streak, wearing it </span>
  <span>proudly</span>
  <span> like some sort of medal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san said it looked cool!"  Nishinoya explained with an excited giggle.  "I'm planning to ask him out this year!  He told me I have to get over 90% on my </span>
  <span>midterms</span>
  <span>."  Yamaguchi's eyes went wide, knowing exactly how </span>
  <span>low </span>
  <span>Nishinoya's grades were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're gonna...study?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"NO!  Oh god, no</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Nishinoya made a gagging noise </span>
  <span>and pretended</span>
  <span> to vomit, then gave Yamaguchi a mischievous smirk.  "I'm gonna switch bodies with some big</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>brained smartass during the exam.  It'll be their brain, but my body!  Isn't that amazing</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi didn't think so, but he just watched as Nishinoya</span>
  <span> jumped</span>
  <span> around excitedly, talking to different people in the dining hall once Yamaguchi told him he </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> to eat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you like my snow globe?  I chose the one from Romania since you said you always wanted to go."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>4th year Ravenclaw Kenma sat down in front of him, probably just to briefly say hi before he </span>
  <span>returned</span>
  <span> to his table.  Yamaguchi nodded excitedly, assuring Kenma </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> he </span>
  <span>did</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Very much!  It's on my fireplace now.  I hope to go someday</span>
  <span> - m</span>
  <span>aybe you could be my tour guide!"  The comment made Kenma nod, which was basically a smile in Yamaguchi's eyes.  They chatted a bit longer </span>
  <span>before</span>
  <span> the Ravenclaw had to </span>
  <span>go</span>
  <span>, a Gryffindor named Kuroo pulling on his arm and trying to get him up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"C'mon, Kenma, I have a surprise for you!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"If it was really a surprise</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then you wouldn't have told me it was a surprise."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi just laughed and waved at them as they left, not minding being alone now since </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> already talked to</span>
  <span> a few </span>
  <span>people.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>is eyes started wandering </span>
  <span>aimlessly</span>
  <span>, and next thing he knew </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>found Tsukishima at the Slytherin table, not talking to anyone but </span>
  <span>with</span>
  <span> a lot of people surrounding him.  It looked like he had a group of friends, but it certainly didn't look like he was enjoying himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then all of a sudden Tsukishima looked at him.  And their eyes locked for exactly 5 seconds before Yamaguchi looked away, staring back down at his food, blushing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought Tsukishima didn't affect him anymore, but what the hell was that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Yamaguchi!  My friend's sister is in your house.  You mind keeping an eye on her this year?"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was Kuroo who convinced Yamaguchi to play Quidditch.  Surprising, yes, considering that they rarely talked to each other, but Kuroo kept pointing out features that would make him a great player.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're skinny!  You would make a great Seeker."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"You have quick reflexes.  I'm sure you would be an amazing Chaser."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Hm, a Keeper?  I can see it."</span>
</p><p><span>So he ended up trying out and made it as</span> <span>the Seeker of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.  It was fine since Asahi and Aone were on the team too, Asahi being a Chaser and Aone being a Beater.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Noya-kun made me try out.  I didn't think I was gonna get in," Asahi </span>
  <span>chuckled</span>
  <span> when Yamaguchi asked him how he ended up getting interested in Quidditch.  "Noya-kun is definitely an outstanding player.  I try </span>
  <span>to wear</span>
  <span> the Gryffindor colours when he plays another team, but sometimes I get yelled at."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What Yamaguchi didn't realize was that Tsukishima was </span>
  <span>also</span>
  <span> on the team as a Keeper - and practiced a lot.</span>
</p><p><span>"Hey, we booked the field today," Nishinoya seethed</span><span>. It was</span><span> the first time Gryffindor and Slytherin </span><span>had</span><span> met face</span><span>-</span><span>to</span><span>-</span><span>face on the field for practice that year.  Yamaguchi wasn't in Gryffindor, but </span><span>because</span><span> Kuroo </span><span>had</span><span> promised to train him since</span> <span>he was the one who convinced him to try out, that meant he went to </span><span>both</span><span> the Gryffindor practices and the Hufflepuff ones.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Oh, did you?  Sorry, I should've been more considerate.  Your team definitely does need more practice, </span>
  <span>doesn’t it</span>
  <span>?"  </span>
  <span>o</span>
  <span>ne of the Slytherin members - Tendou, Tanaka told him - responded with a mocking look of pity.  </span>
</p><p><span>Nishinoya growled and was about to lunge at </span><span>him</span><span>, but </span><span>the </span><span>back of </span><span>his</span><span> collar </span><span>was caught mid-jump </span><span>by Daichi, </span><span>who put</span> <span>him back </span><span>on the ground and </span><span>forced</span> <span>him</span><span> to bow.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Sorry about that," Daichi apologized, </span>
  <span>glancing</span>
  <span> to another member on the </span>
  <span>Slytherin</span>
  <span> team - silver hair and a mole under his eye - before addressing Tendou once more.  "We can take another area, don't worry.   Next time we'll </span>
  <span>make</span>
  <span> sure this doesn't happen again."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi glanced at Tsukishima, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact altogether, before following the rest of the Gryffindor team to the other side of the school.  There were no rings to play with and the open field was only half the size of the Quidditch arena, but they managed to practice and Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>felt that he </span>
  <span>was getting the hang of flying and catching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Never trust those nasty Slytherin</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span>," Nishinoya huffed, beating the shit out of a tree and claiming it was </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>practice for when he would beat the shit out of the Slytherin team.  "Think they're the shit.  Every single one of them!  I can't even point them out individually!"</span>
</p><p><span>Yamaguchi watched, pouting </span><span>when</span><span> he heard Nishinoya talking </span><span>badly </span><span>about Slytherins.  It'</span><span>d</span><span> been a while since he'</span><span>d</span><span> heard someone insult Tsukishima, and even though it </span><span>wasn’t</span> <span>targeted at him directly</span><span>, Yamaguchi still</span><span> took</span><span> some offence </span><span>at</span><span> the comments.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Not all of them..." Yamaguchi mumbled in a small voice, getting Nishinoya's attention.  Yamaguchi thought Nishinoya was going to attack him right then and there, but instead he just nodded.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"You're right.  Sugawara-san isn't all that bad."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That wasn't where Yamaguchi was getting at, but at least Nishinoya </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> stopped beating the poor </span>
  <span>tree</span>
  <span>, now trying to stand on</span>
  <span> his broom</span>
  <span> and fly.  He called it </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>sky surfing,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> but Tanaka claimed it was called </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>sky </span>
  <span>skateboarding”</span>
  <span> by seniors </span>
  <span>who had</span>
  <span> already </span>
  <span>invented</span>
  <span> the trick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who's Sugawara-san?"  Yamaguchi asked, now curious as to what Slytherin could better than Tsukishima.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Daichi-san's friend," Tanaka answered, </span>
  <span>Nishinoya</span>
  <span> now too focused to say anything.  "He's in Slytherin, but sure doesn't act like it.  Heard his parents were muggles."  Yamaguchi nodded, shocked that a Slytherin with two muggle parents existed, but </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> didn't think it was that bad.  At least he wasn't a Squib.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, don't tell Daichi-san this</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but," Tanaka leaned close and Nishinoya quickly joined </span>
  <span>in </span>
  <span>when he realized they were gossiping.  "Sugawara-san is getting bullied!  By other Slytherins!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Nishinoya nodded in confirmation.  "We saw it once!  They took his wand and threatened to burn it.  Then they punched him in the face </span>
  <span>a few </span>
  <span>times."  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi's eyes went wide, unable to fathom how someone could go through such a thing.  It was one thing to be harassed by your classmates in general, but your own </span>
  <em>
    <span>house</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>  Slytherins must be a really scary </span>
  <span>group</span>
  <span> of people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why don't we tell Daichi-san? He can't take that for 7 years," Yamaguchi exclaimed, his eyes wide</span>
  <span> with</span>
  <span> concern.  He</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> barely tasted what it was like to be shunned by Slytherins - imagine sleeping in the same room with those same people!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eh, well, he's been doing it for 5</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tanaka shrugged, and Nishinoya nodded in </span>
  <span>confirmation</span>
  <span>.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yeah.  Even if we wanted to say anything, we couldn't.  Sugawara-san made us swear not to tell Daichi-san</span>
  <span>, or</span>
  <span> else he'll have our head</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span>!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last part made Yamaguchi confused, because why wouldn't Sugawara want to tell anyone he was being bullied?  Shouldn't he be looking for help?  Or was this just a Slytherin thing?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could ask, Kuroo </span>
  <span>flew up beside </span>
  <span>him holding the </span>
  <span>G</span>
  <span>olden </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>nitch</span>
  <span>, holding it </span>
  <span>up to </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi</span>
  <span> before </span>
  <span>letting it fly.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Alright, kid.  I'll show you how to kick some ass."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Quidditch practice with Kuroo ended up being more than just with the team.  He was meeting Kuroo frequently now, even in between classes in order to discuss different forms and meeting </span>
  <span>times</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It was Kenma who pointed out just how much of his day must have been spent with Kuroo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You smell like him," he said with a blank expression, </span>
  <span>making </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi a bit confused.  "Kuroo.  You smell like him now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>was so surprised</span>
  <span> that he didn't even ask how Kenma could </span>
  <span>have</span>
  <span> possibly noticed.  Instead, the Ravenclaw patted Yamaguchi on the head as he stood up, looking like he was about to leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you keep smelling like him I'll shave your whole head."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Yamaguchi tried to wash himself clean, but it seemed that spending time with </span>
  <span>Kuroo</span>
  <span> in the </span>
  <span>changing</span>
  <span> rooms, mixing their robes together, occasionally borrowing Kuroo's gear and even showering together once in a while (mainly when Kuroo was too lazy to go to his own dorm and shower on his own) had really affected Yamaguchi.  Now his scent was mixed with Kuroo's</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and they ended up smelling the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was weird, and every time Kenma pointed it out Yamaguchi shivered</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> since he liked having hair. </span>
</p><p><span>After Quidditch practice one day, Yamaguchi was walking down the </span><span>hallway</span> <span>just</span><span> trying to get back to the Hufflepuff tower when he spotted Aone </span><span>heading</span><span> towards the Slytherin </span><span>wing </span><span>- probably to meet his boyfriend.</span></p><p><span>"Aone-san!"  </span><span>h</span><span>e called out, following him so they could walk together and maybe Yamaguchi could finally meet his boyfriend.  It'</span><span>d</span><span> been a whole year and there still wasn’t a moment Aone was able to introduce</span> <span>him!</span></p><p>
  <span>"Aone-san!" </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e called out again, but it seemed </span>
  <span>like</span>
  <span> he didn't hear him, so Yamaguchi started jogging.  It wasn’t until he </span>
  <span>turned the corner and</span>
  <span> hit </span>
  <span>someone else</span>
  <span> that Yamaguchi ended up stumbling </span>
  <span>and falling </span>
  <span>onto the ground.  He heard a </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>crash</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> of glass</span>
  <span> shattering</span>
  <span>, and all of a sudden his robes were </span>
  <span>wet</span>
  <span> and the floor was covered in pink potion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What the-" </span>
  <span>He’d bumped into</span>
  <span> Tendou, and at first he was terrified.  A Slytherin was scary already, but a 5th year - Yamaguchi was shaking.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Tendou didn't attack him.  Right now he was covering his mouth and nose, looking like he was about to vomit.  His eyes were red and watering </span>
  <span>as he glared </span>
  <span>at Yamaguchi, but he didn't do anything except cover his face and clutch his stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, after looking side to side </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> without any warning, Tendou jumped out of a nearby window - and Yamaguchi was alone again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>What in the world…</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed, looking down at the mess </span>
  <span>he’d</span>
  <span> made </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> giving himself a second to process what had happened.  </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e could smell the potion.  </span>
  <span>I</span>
  <span>t smelt like paper and ink </span>
  <span>- l</span>
  <span>ike a new book, or what his essays smelt like after </span>
  <span>he’d just finished </span>
  <span>writing them.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Paper, ink and strawberries.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were footsteps coming from one </span>
  <span>end </span>
  <span>of the hallway, then a figure stopped right above.  The shadow cast</span>
  <span> over </span>
  <span>him and Yamaguchi looked up, only to widen his eyes </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> he</span>
  <span> realized who was</span>
  <span> there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsuki-"</span>
  <span>"What the fuck is this?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>gasped when he </span>
  <span>remembered</span>
  <span> the mess, scurrying to </span>
  <span>pick up</span>
  <span> the pieces of glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-I'll clean it up-""No</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tsukishima </span>
  <span>grabbed his </span>
  <span>collar and pinned him against the wall.  "The potion.  What </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>this?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took </span>
  <span>everything in</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi not to cry with the way Tsukishima was looking at him right now, like Yamaguchi was the worst person in the world</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e felt like he was gonna break - and Tsukishima wasn't going to fix him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-I don't know!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then why do you have it?!"</span>
</p><p><span>It went on like </span><span>that</span><span>, Tsukishima asking </span><span>again and again </span><span>what the potion was and Yamaguchi sputtering that he had no idea, until the Gryffindor named Kageyama </span><span>stepped in and saved him</span><span>.  He didn't necessarily need </span><span>to be saved</span> <span>-</span><span> Tsukishima would've left him alone at some point</span><span>.  B</span><span>ut he was glad there were others who could stand up to Slytherins.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Ah, well.  I'll take my chances,” was what he said, but Yamaguchi was pretty sure this was just an unlucky day and he </span>
  <span>wouldn’t get stuck</span>
  <span> like that again unless his luck really did change at Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But thanks."  He </span>
  <span>headed towards</span>
  <span> the bathroom again until he realized he </span>
  <span>was still holding</span>
  <span> the potion.  As he entered, Aone was already </span>
  <span>inside</span>
  <span> and someone </span>
  <span>else </span>
  <span>was leaving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was that Aone's boyfriend?  He didn't get a chance to see the tie, but now that wasn't his main concern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I saw you and I wanted to walk with you," he explained when Aone seemed concerned he </span>
  <span>was on</span>
  <span> the Slytherin side of the castle, knowing </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> history with Slytherins.  Aone seemed to buy it because now they were walking together, heading </span>
  <span>back to</span>
  <span> the Hufflepuff tower.  Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>had originally</span>
  <span> wanted to meet Aone's boyfriend, but now he had another </span>
  <span>problem </span>
  <span>on his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi needed to find a way to get this potion back to Tendou without </span>
  <span>risking his life </span>
  <span>by stepping onto Slytherin territory.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Tsukishima</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING : This chapter includes HOMOPHOBIA.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tsukishima Kei </p><p>3rd Year</p><p>Pure Blood </p><p>Slytherin</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima knew his father was a two</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>faced prick when he forged Yamaguchi's letter from Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Powerful magic</span>
  <span>folk</span>
  <span> like that producing a Squib," he said </span>
  <span>angrily</span>
  <span>, almost laughing like a maniac.  "No can do!  I can't work with people like that.  What an embarrassment to the magic world itself!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima didn't say anything as he went back to his summer homework.  He considered it a miracle when Yamaguchi actually ended up being able to produce some magic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sleep, study, eat, study.  Sleep, study, eat, study.  Sleep, study, eat, study.  Tsukishima didn't mind such a life during his 1st year at Hogwarts.  He wasn't a social person and he didn't </span>
  <span>really</span>
  <span> want to talk to anyone else.  </span>
  <span>And no</span>
  <span> one wanted to talk to him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> either, even if they were in the same house - that was</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> until the</span>
  <span> first</span>
  <span> midterm exam results came out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsukishima Kei?  Who's that?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"No way!  112%?  What did he do for that extra 12%?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Forget that!  What did he do to get anything above a 50%?!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima's dad was a traditional man who made him study to the bone even during summer vacation, which he didn't mind too much. He didn't mind not having fun, didn't mind staying </span>
  <span>cooped</span>
  <span> up in his room with dozens of textbooks and reading words he couldn't understand.  He didn't mind it.  Really.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsukishima-san!  Let's eat lunch together!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Tsukishima-san!  Why don't we </span>
  <span>partner up</span>
  <span> for our upcoming project?  I'll do my part!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Tsukishima-san!  Can I call you Tsuki-kun?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima realized just how much he missed Yamaguchi when the name </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Tsuki</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> came out of a mouth that wasn't his.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Owl.  I need to buy an owl</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tsukishima was practically begging the clerk at the Magical Menagerie, trying to buy an owl so he could write to Yamaguchi during his 1st year.  It was late, </span>
  <span>already</span>
  <span> into March, and Tsukishima knew that it would probably look like Yamaguchi was an </span>
  <span>afterthought</span>
  <span>, not</span>
  <span> a priority </span>
  <span>in </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> life at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he</span>
  <span> also knew Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>- he </span>
  <span>knew that even a short </span>
  <span>handwritten</span>
  <span> letter would be enough to make him squeal with joy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please, I need an owl. </span>
  <span> Even </span>
  <span>the cheapest, slowest one you have would work!  Please, I have the money!"  The clerk shook her head again, pointing to the sign at the front desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"New rules, kid.  Have to be at least 13 before you can buy a pet.  Especially students at Hogwarts - you kids like to roughen up the adults, don't you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So writing a letter was out the window.  Tsukishima really didn't know why he was trying to find ways to contact Yamaguchi, especially when he knew that Yamaguchi probably couldn't do anything magical in order for them to talk to each other.  It was such a hassle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then there was the issue where Tsukishima didn't have any friends.  If he just talked to one of the 3rd years, then maybe he could </span>
  <span>ask</span>
  <span> them to buy an owl and Tsukishima could give them the money. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He had to choose his target wisely</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> someone who wouldn't ask him too many questions </span>
  <span>or</span>
  <span> squeal about his plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he realized that being antisocial also meant he was a poor judge of character, he </span>
  <span>finally </span>
  <span>gave up and went back to studying,</span>
  <span> looking for </span>
  <span>the biggest distraction he could find.  It was weird though - even a 15</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>page essay couldn't take his mind off of Yamaguchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That summer Yamaguchi didn't change, sort of like how Tsukishima expected.  He still followed </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> around and talked even more.  Tsukishima wondered if it was possible to get even more clingy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, what did you learn at Hogwarts?"  Yamaguchi asked excitedly</span>
  <span>. T</span>
  <span>he two of them </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> sitting on the grass and munching on some chips that Yamaguchi claimed were the best snack in the world.  Tsukishima thought they were so-so, and made sure Yamaguchi knew it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stuff, here and there.  Magic.  Nothing exciting</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> really."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eh, no way!  Tell me more!  I'm sure it was more than that.  Come on, Tsuki, I wanna know too!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima always found it odd how even though Yamaguchi was the same age as him, </span>
  <span>with the</span>
  <span> same status and opportunities, Yamaguchi never got jealous of him.  He never tried to one</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>up Tsukishima or got angry at him for being better.  It was like he accepted Tsukishima was the golden boy and Yamaguchi was the one who polished him every night so he was extra shiny on the plaque.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first he found it annoying, but then he realized just how much he preferred that over his dumb classmates trying to be friends with him to make themselves look good.  It was better to have someone cheering you on while you scored a goal </span>
  <span>over</span>
  <span> someone </span>
  <span>trying</span>
  <span> to score a goal right after you did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, I'll tell you.  But don't get too excited.  It hurts my ears."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Not long</span>
  <span> afterwards </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>received</span>
  <span> his very own letter to Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>At first Tsukishima thought the reason he hated Kageyama so much was because of how good he was at </span>
  <span>everything</span>
  <span>.  They were </span>
  <span>at the same level</span>
  <span>, Kageyama being </span>
  <span>from</span>
  <span> a rich family, pure</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>blooded and naturally talented at magic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he saw Kageyama's exam results</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, he quickly stopped comparing himself to him, realizing he himself was much, much better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the way that orange-haired, short stick followed him around like a lost puppy.  Kageyama looked like he was about to let go of the leash sometime soon, but then at the last minute he would pull harder and the orange puppy was back to him panting for a treat.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It reminded him of the way Yamaguchi looked at him.  The only difference was him and Kageyama.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Watch out for Yamaguchi-kun this school year, you hear me?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>is dad pretty much demanded, handing him extra textbooks in case Yamaguchi wanted to get ahead as well.  Tsukishima would probably end up giving them to some idiot in his class who forgot to buy their own textbooks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think I found out the reason he didn't get the letter last year," his dad said in a low voice, shaking his head like he was disappointed.  "Pretty sure it's because he likes boys, that kid."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What that had to do with magic, Tsukishima had no clue.  But then his dad went on with his explanation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know how unnatural that is.  His parents are a powerful witch and wizard </span>
  <span>who</span>
  <span> produced a Squib?  Impossible!  He has something unnatural to begin with, and I'm confident it's that.  You know, the way he watches athletes on TV.  Disgusting."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima was pretty sure it was because Yamaguchi admired how well they played, but he kept his mouth shut, nodding ever so slightly.  His dad gave him a firm nod, fixing up his son's tie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry.  I'm talking to his dad about sending him to a help camp this summer.  Get his mind where it's supposed to be again.  His dad said he's just a boy, but I told him it's never too early to look out!  Don't worry Kei, Yamaguchi-kun'll be better in no time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>2nd year was not fun.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't his intention to be so cold to Yamaguchi.  In fact, Tsukishima was expecting to be </span>
  <span>followed</span>
  <span> around, and </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>wouldn't respond but allow it to happen like usual.  If anyone asked any questions, he wouldn't reply</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and if anything got suspicious he would </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> distance himself.  He didn't want this school year to have any unnecessary drama, and he definitely wasn't planning on making Yamaguchi cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima did not tell everyone Yamaguchi was a Squib.  How could he?  He watched Yamaguchi grow into a better wizard every day, practising with his wand and flying across the school.  But Slytherins were clever and they were able to put 2 and 2 together, coming to the conclusion that Yamaguchi had to be a Squib if this was the first year they were seeing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when his Slytherin classmates called Yamaguchi that name, he was surprised as well, he just didn't show it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima wasn't supposed to look up.  He wasn't supposed to watch Yamaguchi tear up.  He wasn't supposed to watch Yamaguchi run away.  He wasn't supposed to make Yamaguchi cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he did.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Then hell started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi began to make friends with a bunch of people.  By a bunch of people</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Tsukishima noticed that it meant </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone </span>
  </em>
  <span>besides Slytherins.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the dining room he would be sitting with </span>
  <span>two</span>
  <span> big Hufflepuffs </span>
  <span>who </span>
  <span>didn't look like Hufflepuffs until their expressions changed.  In their classes, Yamaguchi was able to make things happen now, having a little more confidence when he was talking to people</span>
  <span>. N</span>
  <span>ext thing he knew, Yamaguchi didn't need his attention anymore.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He was pretty sure something </span>
  <span>snapped</span>
  <span> inside of him when </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>began </span>
  <span>spending</span>
  <span> an unnecessary amount of time with the seniors, helping them put away Quidditch gear and holding their brooms for them - that just had to be abuse.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But didn't Tsukishima do the same?  No.  Tsukishima was worse.  He wouldn't even look at Yamaguchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If the 2nd year of school was terrible, then that summer going into 3rd was disgusting.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi’s</span>
  <span> dad didn't send him to help camp and Yamaguchi was all of a sudden popular.  Several owls </span>
  <span>flew </span>
  <span>over their house </span>
  <span>every</span>
  <span> night to Yamaguchi's</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> which was just down the road.  Then whenever his parents would come over for dinner, they would talk about his amazing new friends and Tsukishima's stomach would do a weird flop.  Apparently he was getting presents</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too?  What about when Tsukishima's presence was enough for him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hated hearing about this nonsense and always wanted to leave the dinner table, especially when Yamaguchi came over and acted like nothing happened during the school year.  He never held a grudge against Tsukishima, never got mad at him.  It bothered Tsukishima even more because that was just confirmation that Yamaguchi still had a place in his heart for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But why?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then 3rd year came and Tsukishima realized more and more what exactly was making him angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was being approached by so many people, so many nice people.  And those nice people were sometimes good</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>looking.  And those nice, good</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>looking people sometimes touched him - that's </span>
  <span>what upset Tsukishima the most</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Especially that stupidhead, Kuroo.  If only Yamaguchi knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Listen, I really, really need you to do this.  Please, Kuroo-san.  It's important!"  Hinata begged </span>
  <span>Kuroo</span>
  <span> quietly a few tables away, not knowing Tsukishima could hear the whole thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't get it.  I just want Tadashi to be a better Quidditch player.  What's that got to do with-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Everything!"  Hinata shouted, getting a very aggressive </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>shh</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> from the librarian, which he ignored once she left.  They continued their conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you found out your little sister might have a crush on someone, wouldn't you want to know what they're about?"  Kuroo took some time to think about it, humming softly</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then </span>
  <span>shaking</span>
  <span> his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No.  I wouldn't care </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> long as they don't look like a dick. And Tadashi looks like a muffin.""Exactly!  He looks like one, but then she'll take a bite and he'll end up being a cupcake!  Sweet and tasty, but terrible for her health!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima didn't like it when another person called Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>sweet and tasty,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> but he didn't say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't get it.  You're in the same year, why can't you just talk to him yourself?  You play Quidditch too."  Hinata sighed and shook his head, laying it down on the table.  "I can't!  Natsu-chan will get</span>
  <span> really </span>
  <span>mad if I hang out with her crush.  Besides, I don't even know what this guy looks like.  Please, Kuroo-san.  I'm begging you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo gave it some thought before he finally nodded, a cocky smirk on his face.  "I'll do it!  On the condition that you put in a good word for me to Kenma, then I think this'll be worth it.  Deal?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Deal!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Hinata jumped up and left the library, leaving Kuroo to continue studying, Tsukishima got up too, passing by Kuroo's desk as he left.  He slammed his hand right beside Kuroo's textbook, making the Gryffindor jump and turn to look at Tsukishima, who currently had quite </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> murderous look in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Quit calling Yamaguchi by his first name," he threatened </span>
  <span>in </span>
  <span>an intimidatingly low voice, staring straight into Kuroo's soul.  "Unless you want to find out if hell is real."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>After that Kuroo did not leave Tsukishima alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With lots more threatening and </span>
  <span>the promise </span>
  <span>that Tsukishima wouldn't be the type of Slytherin to be mean to just anyone he met, Kuroo ended up reporting things about Yamaguchi, not just to Hinata, but to Tsukishima as well.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's taken a liking to Transfiguration, you know?"  Kuroo told him one day after a long Quidditch practice with Yamaguchi.  "Apparently he wants to learn how to turn more objects into animals.  I thought it was weird, but he seemed really excited about it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi hadn't </span>
  <span>shown</span>
  <span> Tsukishima his excited face in what felt like forever, which was really making Tsukishima anxious.  He </span>
  <span>hadn’t realized</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi would start flat</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>out ignoring him, though he should've </span>
  <span>known</span>
  <span> sooner because what idiot would actually want to follow someone </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> cold </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> Tsukishima all the time?  Yamaguchi probably had over 20 different cases of frostbite by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't get it.  Can't you just talk to him?  I mean, if he's like you </span>
  <span>say</span>
  <span> then he won't care, right?  Just whip up a lame apology and bibbity-bobbity-fucksticks, you got your pet back!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The thing was, that would actually work.  Tsukishima</span>
  <span> could give</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi some </span>
  <span>half-assed</span>
  <span> apology, and Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>would accept </span>
  <span>it with his whole heart.  But that's just </span>
  <span>what</span>
  <span> bothered him - the fact that Yamaguchi would be kind enough to forgive Tsukishima right away.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He </span>
  <span>was </span>
  <span>pretty sure what bothered him the most though, after watching Yamaguchi break out of his shell, was the fact that Yamaguchi didn't treat everyone the way he treated Tsukishima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In times </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi would </span>
  <span>normally </span>
  <span>applaud Tsukishima, Yamaguchi ended up just shrugging and nodding to other people.  In times </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi would be </span>
  <span>fangirling</span>
  <span> over Tsukishima, Yamaguchi would be silently clapping in the background.  In times </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi would be cheering Tsukishima's name and bragging about him, Yamaguchi would just give them a thumbs</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>up and a pat on the back.</span>
</p><p><span>It bothered him the most because Tsukishima had no idea what this meant - </span><span>for</span> <span>both</span><span> him and </span><span>for</span><span> Yamaguchi.</span></p><p>
  <span>"He's not </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> pet," Tsukishima ended up saying, hating that so many people </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> called Yamaguchi that these past </span>
  <span>one-</span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>half years - and Yamaguchi took it!  "He's just a family friend."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Watching Sugawara getting bullied was definitely difficult, especially when Tsukishima knew for a fact that he </span>
  <span>hadn’t done</span>
  <span> anything wrong.</span>
</p><p><span>Sugawara worked harder than any other Slytherin, studied and practiced.  When Sugawara ended up making the Quidditch team, even though everyone hated the idea of sharing the Quidditch Cup with a mudblood, Tsukishima thought Sugawara</span> <span>deserved it just as much as everyone else.</span></p><p>
  <span>So he tried to comfort Sugawara in his own ways, but there was only so much socially awkward Tsukishima could do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara-san, I-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's fine, Tsukishima.  I'm used to it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> just </span>
  <span>been</span>
  <span> pushed down some stairs, luckily the bottom ones so there weren't as many steps to tumble down.  Apparently his wand was broken, so now he couldn't even protect himself while those Slytherin bastards had all the power in the world (technically).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's the problem</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  You're used to it."  Tsukishima hated how he saw Yamaguchi in Sugawara.  He hated how he could hear Yamaguchi saying those exact words and taking the harassment like some sort of rag doll.  Tsukishima thought they deserved a fighting chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's only </span>
  <span>two </span>
  <span>more years.  I'll manage</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Sugawara smiled at him, limping off down the hall</span>
  <span>. A</span>
  <span>ll Tsukishima could do was watch.  Because what else could he do?  Tell the teachers?  His dad would find out, then ask why he was standing up for a homo like Sugawara - wouldn't that be a lovely subject at the dinner table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima was already pissed off walking down the hall, so </span>
  <span>he was even more agitated</span>
  <span> when he found Yamaguchi on the ground </span>
  <span>lying in a puddle of potion</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He recognized </span>
  <span>it </span>
  <span>right away - he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> even </span>
  <span>written </span>
  <span>an essay </span>
  <span>about </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Amortentia.  A </span>
  <span>powerful </span>
  <span>potion </span>
  <span>that smelled </span>
  <span>like the thing or person you love the most, whether the person using it knew what their most loved scent was or not.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Amortentia was the most powerful love potion in existence, to the point where it could be downright deadly </span>
  <span>in the wrong hands</span>
  <span>.  That amount of infatuation and obsession over something, despite it being completely artificial, could </span>
  <span>wreak </span>
  <span>havoc and control millions of people at a time.  It could cause the weakest person to grow to the strongest of their being, the emptiest mind to be filled with the greatest knowledge </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> as long as they </span>
  <span>were on a high</span>
  <span> enough dosage of the potion, the person</span>
  <span> administering </span>
  <span>it could easily conduct the drinker's every move and thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So why the fuck was Tsukishima smelling Kuroo</span>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't love Kuroo.  He wasn't even sure he liked Kuroo.  But the stupid scent was all Kuroo - making Tsukishima realizing just how much time he must've been spending with him to know - and he felt like he was about to puke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why did he smell Kuroo and why did Yamaguchi have this potion?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was he going to use it on someone?  Did he make it?  Did he have someone he loved?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was he going to use it on Tsukishima?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was in the Slytherin tower but didn't have any Slytherin friends.  It was suspicious...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But!  Tsukishima couldn't play nice now.  Not after being a huge dick to Yamaguchi thus far</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and definitely not after Yamaguchi ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been playing </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>love Kuroo</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> these past few weeks.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima needed to know the purpose of this potion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>is Royal </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>ighness Kageyama </span>
  <span>hadn’t shown</span>
  <span> up, Tsukishima felt like he would've gotten an answer.  But when Tsukishima did the math in his head - Kageyama tells Hinata, Hinata tells Kuroo, Kuroo either goes to Yamaguchi or him - he realized that this wasn't worth the fight and he would find out later what this stupid potion was for.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't even have to wait a whole day before he heard footsteps approaching the Slytherin tower at midnight.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima was still </span>
  <span>alone</span>
  <span> in the common room when he suddenly heard soft footsteps and whispering outside, probably Yamaguchi trying all the passwords to get into the Slytherin door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Pure</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>blood?""Incorrect!""Uh, what about Basilisk?""Nope!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was trying all the old passwords, probably unaware that the Slytherins </span>
  <span>had started changing </span>
  <span>them every week due to a </span>
  <span>huge</span>
  <span> prank from the Gryffindors </span>
  <span>two </span>
  <span>years prior.  After about the third attempt, Tsukishima went over and </span>
  <span>yanked </span>
  <span>the door </span>
  <span>open</span>
  <span> himself aggressively</span>
  <span>. All </span>
  <span>of a sudden </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> was face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>face with a whimpering Yamaguchi in yellow pajamas.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Hufflepuff's eyes went wide when he saw Tsukishima, and </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>was stunned </span>
  <span>to see</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi holding the Amortentia potion.  So he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> trying to use it on </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What're you doing here?"  Tsukishima asked angrily, stepping out of the common room and shutting the door so </span>
  <span>none of the</span>
  <span> other Slytherin</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> could hear them.  "I told you to stay in your house."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What are you doing, Kei</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>” </span>
  <span>he thought to himself, inwardly groaning.  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why the hell are you like this</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was shaking, pushing the love potion </span>
  <span>towards</span>
  <span> Tsukishima</span>
  <span>. T</span>
  <span>he Slytherin raise</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> an eyebrow at him.  </span>
  <span>Didn’t</span>
  <span> he know that Tsukishima didn't need to drink this stuff in order to fall in love with </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please!  Tendou-san...Uhm, give this to Tendou-san, please!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima's jaw dropped and he felt his legs turn into jelly at the absurd request.  He realized, </span>
  <span>perhaps </span>
  <span>a little too late, that Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>probably moved on a long time ago, way longer than he might've thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yamaguchi likes Tendou</span>
  </em>
  <span>??</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima felt like vomiting.  He successfully held it in though, snatching the potion out of Yamaguchi's hand, glaring down at him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What did he see in that redheaded fucker anyway?  He was weird and sick all the time - </span>
  <span>could </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi take care of sick people?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Get out of here!  I told you to just-""Yamaguchi!"  </span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span>omeone called from across the hall, making both their heads turn.  Tsukishima recognized him </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> Asahi, one of Yamaguchi's Hufflepuff friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Great, you brought more," Tsukishima spat at them, watching as Asahi came up the stairs and grabbed Yamaguchi by the wrist - he wanted to yank that ponytail off his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look, we don't want any trouble," Asahi said </span>
  <span>calmly</span>
  <span>.  His eyes went to the potion, which Tsukishima quickly hid in his pocket,</span>
  <span> then went</span>
  <span> back to looking at them sternly.  "Just..get back to your house already!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima opened the Slytherin door again after saying the password </span>
  <span>“Parseltongue</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> heading inside but</span>
  <span> staying</span>
  <span> pressed against the wall to try and hear something.  He caught a bit of it, thankfully, so he didn't feel too crazy.</span>
</p><p><span>"Why did you have to come here at midnight?  Do you know how scary this place is at</span> <span>dark!"</span><span><br/></span><span>"I had to give something-"</span><span><br/></span><span>"Was it </span><em><span>that</span></em><span> important?"</span><span><br/></span><span>"....kind of.  I wanted to give it when no one else was looking..."</span></p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima sighed, sliding down the door and sitting on the ground, taking the potion out and </span>
  <span>examined</span>
  <span> it.  He popped the bottle open and smelt it, noticing the smell had changed slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now it smelled more like </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>outdoors and firewood </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> Kuroo's smell </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> still there, but </span>
  <span>it had</span>
  <span> faded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Yamaguchi…</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> Tsukishima thought desperately to himself</span>
  <span>. He </span>
  <span>was so pathetic in this situation he wasn't sure what to do anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What were you going to do with this?"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Asahi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING : This chapter includes talk of ANXIETY and PANIC ATTACKS<br/>DISCLAIMER : I personally have no experience with anxiety or panic attacks.  Everything put out is based on occurrences and patterns I see from people in my life who do deal with anxiety and panic attacks and research on the internet.  If I end up putting something inaccurate or offensive, please let me know and I will try to fix my mistakes and learn for the future.</p><p>A/N - In case anyone is confused : The Amortentia potion makes people smell the person/thing they love the most, whether the person is aware of the scent or not and may not even know what they're smelling sometimes (rare case).  Since Tsukishima and Yamaguchi haven't been around each other for a long time, they aren't completely sure what they are smelling.  Because Yamaguchi's 'natural scent' has been mixed with Kuroo's (Yamaguchi's 1st chapter), Tsukishima thinks he's smelling Kuroo, but doesn't know that Yamaguchi and Kuroo have been smelling the same.<br/>I apologize for any confusion!<br/>Thank you :D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Azumane Asahi</p><p>5th Year</p><p>Half-Blood (on his dad's side)</p><p>Hufflepuff</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asahi </span>
  <span>had been</span>
  <span> called a coward so many times in his life he was fairly certain there was a point in time people thought that was his actual name.  It’s not like he </span>
  <em>
    <span>asked</span>
  </em>
  <span> to look the way he did.  He didn't ask to have his dad's looks and his mom's personality.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It just happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the age of 7 his dad knew he was a wizard when Asahi started crying and made all the lights in the house go out.  He only wished Asahi was crying over something </span>
  <em>
    <span>other </span>
  </em>
  <span>than </span>
  <span>their </span>
  <span>family dog startling him with his barking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-kun, you're a wizard.  So act bravely like one, okay?  Or else </span>
  <span>your </span>
  <span>magic will be useless," his dad said, making Asahi </span>
  <span>even</span>
  <span> more nervous because he knew deep down inside that his ability in magic was </span>
  <span>wasted on</span>
  <span> him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Asahi a brave wizard?  He could barely be a brave human!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He attended Hogwarts anyway, not exactly being able to reject the invitation, and followed the other students in what they did.  When he was sorted and realized he was in the tamest house there was, he </span>
  <span>felt</span>
  <span> much more relieved, deciding to just treat Hogwarts like any other normal school.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which was a mistake</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because once his classes started he thought he was about to pass out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Charms class assigned him </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> attack one of his classmates, and even though Asahi didn't want to, his classmate certainly did</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Asahi ended up in the hospital wing for the rest of the week, which he ended up not minding at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Potions, he thought, would be a fun one.  Just mixing a bunch of ingredients together wouldn't cause him any harm, right?  Apparently not</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because he ended up </span>
  <span>exploding </span>
  <span>his cauldron, covering </span>
  <span>himself </span>
  <span>in the Laughing Potion they were learning that class</span>
  <span>. N</span>
  <span>ext thing he knew</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he was in a non stop laughing fit for the whole day.  He</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> never felt so embarrassed before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Defense Against the Dark Arts was the worst.  Even though it was only their 1st year</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> the teacher thought it would be a good idea to introduce them to a Boggart - a magical creature that turns into </span>
  <span>its </span>
  <span>victim's worst fear - and they were expected to learn to deflect it.  When it was Asahi's turn, apparently the Boggart got confused because he was scared of everything, and ended up just staying </span>
  <span>its </span>
  <span>shadowy, dark self</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> which was scary enough for Asahi.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Next thing he knew, he was crying on the floor, screaming and shivering, his eyes </span>
  <span>clamped </span>
  <span>shut and covering his face, desperately wanting </span>
  <span>to be literally anywhere else</span>
  <span>.  The teacher had to take him to the hospital wing, where Asahi was treated </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>a nice meal and some calming music.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few questions, Asahi later learned that what he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> had was called a panic attack.  His heart raced rapidly and he</span>
  <span> felt </span>
  <span>close to death even though he wasn't in any real danger.  The panic attack must have made him lose even more control</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because he couldn't even move no matter how many times the teacher shook him and screamed his name.</span>
</p><p><span>Multiple times Asahi </span><span>thought</span> <span>about </span><span>dropping out of Hogwarts, explaining to his dad that this place was just not for him.  But his dad hit him back with</span><span>, “Y</span><span>ou already started, you might as well finish.</span><span>”</span></p><p>
  <span>So Asahi nodded his head and quietly continued to his 2nd year.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>3rd year was when he started tutoring.  Even though hands-on classes weren't his thing, more mild ones like History of Magic or Astronomy were where he excelled and ended up </span>
  <span>making </span>
  <span>the honor roll these last </span>
  <span>few</span>
  <span> years.  So when his teachers asked if he could tutor underclassmen, he didn't mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His panic attacks got worse</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though,</span>
  <span> and they realized </span>
  <span>a little too late that Asahi should have been diagnosed with anxiety first.  They tried bringing in muggle medication for him to take before any Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, and luckily it helped a little bit.  But if something got too much then they allowed Asahi to step out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you Azumane Asahi?  The tutor?"  A short, black</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>haired 2nd year, Gryffindor asked, sitting down in front of Asahi </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> placing </span>
  <span>his textbooks </span>
  <span>on the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm Nishinoya Yuu.  You're supposed to be tutoring me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi nodded, smiling at Nishinoya and opening the text</span>
  <span>books</span>
  <span>.  Nishinoya </span>
  <span>had been</span>
  <span> signed up by a teacher, so Asahi knew</span>
  <span> he</span>
  <span> probably didn't want to be here, but the teachers </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> begged him, saying Nishinoya needed a pass in </span>
  <span>at least </span>
  <span>one class other than Flying in order to make it to 3rd year.  Nishinoya didn't seem all </span>
  <span>that </span>
  <span>bad</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What are your grades like, Nishinoya-kun?"  Asahi asked, making Nishinoya take out some of his</span>
  <span> old</span>
  <span> tests so he could show Asahi exactly what he was working with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mmm, I</span>
  <span> at least</span>
  <span> get 5 points on them most of the time," he replied casually, making Asahi laugh because that was impossible.  He had to get more than 5 points.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he did.  Sort of.</span>
</p><p><span>Asahi looked through all of Nishinoya's test</span><span>s</span><span>, exams and essays.  He was pretty sure Nishinoya's highest mark was 12 points, not including quizzes that were out of 10</span><span>;</span><span> in that case</span><span>,</span><span> his highest was 2.  </span><span><br/></span><span>Asahi's jaw dropped</span><span>. He couldn’t believe</span> <span>a student like this could actually exist.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I'm a lost cause, aren't I?"  Seeing Nishinoya's nervous, defeated face smiling, his </span>
  <span>laugh made it seem</span>
  <span> like he actually did care about his marks - it made Asahi more determined to help him pass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No way!  I'll help you!  And by the end of the term, you'll </span>
  <span>get</span>
  <span> at least a 50%, okay?"  Nishinoya looking excited and determined was all Asahi needed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So they met every Tuesday, and </span>
  <span>while</span>
  <span> tutoring Nishinoya, Asahi found out a lot of things about the 2nd year that he didn't think </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> possible </span>
  <span>about </span>
  <span>anyone.  Like how Nishinoya could stand on his hands on his broom while flying, or how Nishinoya could make an animal turn into a plush toy despite not being taught.  Nishinoya was really talented.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Loud and wild and overly enthusiastic, but talented.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san, you're really nice.  Don't you have a girlfriend?"  The question made Asahi blush, chuckling nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No.  They sort of get disappointed when I'm not the tough boyfriend they expected.  But that's fine, I don't really mind," he shrugged.  During</span>
  <span> his </span>
  <span>3rd year, a lot of people </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> started getting curious about dating</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and a lot of confessions started happening.  Asahi ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> received several as well, but was quickly dumped </span>
  <span>within </span>
  <span>days when they found out how tame </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?!  I can't believe that!  You're an amazing person, you know!"  Asahi smiled timidly, shaking his head.  Before he could protest and tell Nishinoya that he was wrong, Nishinoya spoke up first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How about considering me</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then?"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>4th year came and Asahi was still tutoring Nishinoya, who was then in his 3rd year.  His grades went from 12 points to 35, so obviously they were doing something right, but it seemed </span>
  <span>like </span>
  <span>Nishinoya would rather be tutored by Asahi than actually improve his mark</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know, you don't need to fail a class in order to see me," Asahi laughed, assuring Nishinoya that they could hang out even </span>
  <span>outside</span>
  <span> of their tutoring sessions.  He thought Nishinoya knew this, but the surprised look on the Gryffindor's face </span>
  <span>revealed that Nishinoya was in fact unaware.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really?  Promise, Asahi-san?!  If I start passing, then we can hang out as much as we want?  Promise, promise, promise?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Asahi nodded</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he thought he saw Nishinoya fly.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya did need a tutor though, at least until midterms,</span>
  <span> when he </span>
  <span>finally got his first 50%.  It shocked everyone, even Nishinoya himself, but he quickly </span>
  <span>grabbed </span>
  <span>the exam and sprinted to the Hufflepuff tower, tapping the barrels of the entrance desperately </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> forgetting in the moment what the stupid rhythm was.  Luckily Asahi was stepping out, eyes wide when he saw </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look!  Look, Asahi-san, look!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi did look, right at the </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>50%</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> marked on top </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> red.  He gasped and pulled Nishinoya into a big hug</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> which Nishinoya </span>
  <span>reciprocated</span>
  <span> gratefully, even jumping up and wrapping his legs around Asahi's waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You did it!  I knew you could do it!  I'm so proud of y-" Nishinoya </span>
  <span>smashed </span>
  <span>his lips against Asahi's.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kiss took Asahi by surprise, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> his eyes </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>wide open.  When Nishinoya pulled away, the Gryffindor bumped their foreheads together, giggling.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Sorry.  I got carried away."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi had to put him down, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> a confused but happy Nishinoya</span>
  <span> stared </span>
  <span>up at him expectantly.  The Hufflepuff </span>
  <span>bit </span>
  <span>his lip nervously, unsure what to do.  He liked Nishinoya, he really did!</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But they were still young, and Nishinoya was probably just excited about the mark.  Tutoring him for so long</span>
  <span> had</span>
  <span> probably put a bunch of thoughts</span>
  <span> into</span>
  <span> Nishinoya's head</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and now he thought Asahi was good boyfriend </span>
  <span>material</span>
  <span>.  But Asahi couldn't be!  Not for Nishinoya</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> anyway.  Nishinoya deserved someone who could match his energy, a talented wizard like he was - that boyfriend wasn't Asahi, and probably never would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You...</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>on't you like me?"  Nishinoya asked, his expression falling in a way that made Asahi's heart hurt.  He wanted to say yes so badly, but the thought of Nishinoya throwing him away in the future made his brain hurt and his stomach clench.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anything but being thrown away was okay, even if they weren't more than what they were now.</span>
</p><p><span>"I do...as a friend."  He ended up saying before he could even process </span><span>it</span><span>.  Nishinoya's face dropped completely, a sad expression that Asahi </span><span>had</span><span> never seen before.  He wanted to take it back right away, but Nishinoya was faster, putting a determined look on his face </span><span>- </span><span>much more determined than when they </span><span>had</span> <span>first </span><span>started their tutoring sessions.</span><span><br/></span><span>He looked like he was going to war.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I'll make you like me!  Not as a friend, but as a lover!  That's it!  I'll make you love me, Azumane Asahi</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Nishinoya pointed a finger right at Asahi's chest, right where his heart was supposed to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Be prepared to have that stolen, Asahi-san.  Because I'm coming after it!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>After constant begging and many tutoring sessions, Asahi tried out for Quidditch.  It was the end of his 4th year</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Nishinoya managed to convince him that being on the Quidditch team would give them more time together (and more time to steal Asahi's heart).  Asahi figured trying out </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> a bad idea, but he didn't actually think he was going to get in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A Chaser chases the balls and throws them in the hoop.  Easy enough, right?"  </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>he captain explained, and yeah, when you say it like that it sounds easy.  But on top of not being that great at flying, Asahi wasn't that great at throwing them in the hoops either.  He was pretty sure he was only on the team because they needed more players.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll help you," Nishinoya </span>
  <span>offered</span>
  <span> one day, after Hufflepuff lost a match to Slytherin by 70 points.  Asahi seemed really beaten up by it</span>
  <span> - </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> missed several potential goals that game.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Like how you tutored me.  I'll help you with Quidditch."  Nishinoya's face showed he was serious, and Asahi smiled down at him, nodding.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I can't wait."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After classes, </span>
  <span>he and </span>
  <span>Asahi would meet outside of the </span>
  <span>Hufflepuff tower, Nishinoya waiting for Asahi to sneak out </span>
  <span>with his broom so they could head outside and practice together.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Like Nishinoya said, Asahi ended up getting better.  </span>
  <span>B</span>
  <span>etter enough to beat </span>
  <span>Ravenclaw</span>
  <span> in the next Quidditch match.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"YES, ASAHI-SAN!"  Nishinoya screamed from the bleachers, </span>
  <span>which made</span>
  <span> Asahi flinch</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but smiled when he turned to wave at Nishinoya.  He wasn't surprised </span>
  <span>to see </span>
  <span>the small </span>
  <span>body </span>
  <span>holding up a </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>GO ASAHI-SAN</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> sign in big yellow letters while wearing a Hufflepuff scarf.  He also wasn't surprised when he learned that the Gryffindor team captain scolded him for wearing Hufflepuff colours during a Quidditch match.</span>
</p><p><span>Asahi finally met Daichi </span><span>in</span><span> Defense Against the Dark Arts 4th year, </span><span>learning </span><span>quickly that Daichi</span> <span>actually took care of Nishinoya a lot.  The thought of someone else </span><span>catering </span><span>to Nishinoya's neediness made Asahi feel a little weird, but he didn't say that to Daichi.</span></p><p>
  <span>"He talks about you a lot</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too," Daichi mentioned </span>
  <span>once in class after Nishinoya’s name came up during</span>
  <span> conversation, originally about the upcoming Quidditch match.  "You talk about Noya a lot and he talks about you a lot</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Daichi</span>
  <span> shrugged</span>
  <span>.  "You guys like talking about each other.  I just noticed."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That same class, Asahi had to deal with a Boggart again.  He always avoided these</span>
  <span> classes </span>
  <span>whenever he had to deal with something so intense, but he was in his 4th year now and</span>
  <span> he still</span>
  <span> hadn't learned to deflect one properly yet.  His teacher told him he needed to do it at least once in order to </span>
  <span>graduate from Hogwarts, no less pass his 4th year</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It'll be fine, Asahi," </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor Ukai reassured him calmly as he slowly opened the closet </span>
  <span>containing </span>
  <span>the Boggart.  "I'll be here.  You </span>
  <span>already</span>
  <span> took your medication.  You'll be fine."</span>
</p><p><span>Before, Asahi didn't have </span><span>a </span><span>single greatest fear.  He was prepared for that to happen again this year, expecting</span><span> to see</span> <span>a</span><span> big black blob.  So</span><span> he</span><span> was very</span><span> confused </span><span>when </span><span>P</span><span>rofessor Ukai opened the door and Nishinoya </span><span>flew out </span><span>on his broom.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san!  Asahi-san, look!  I'm doing my trick again!"  Asahi told himself this was </span>
  <span>just </span>
  <span>an illusion, but he knew the Boggart was going to do something awful to Nishinoya and he couldn't watch.  He tried to cover his eyes, but they were glued </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> the fake Nishinoya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san, watch me!  I'm-" </span>
  <span>A</span>
  <span>ll of a sudden Boggart Nishinoya was zapped by a silver light that came out of nowhere, </span>
  <span>striking </span>
  <span>him down.  Boggart Nishinoya </span>
  <span>lay </span>
  <span>on the ground lifeless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Noya-kun!"  Asahi screamed, running over and pulling the illusion of a body up, shaking it and trying to </span>
  <span>listen</span>
  <span> for a heartbeat.  It was so realistic </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>Nishinoya's body </span>
  <span>was </span>
  <span>cold and still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>No..Noya-kun is warm and loud.  He wouldn't d-die-</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> Asahi thought as he whimpered, holding </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Nishinoya</span>
  <span>'</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> body close and sobbing into his chest.  His whole body shook, his mind empty at the thought of Nishinoya dead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not-Not Noya-" Asahi sobbed</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Daichi </span>
  <span>tried </span>
  <span>to pull Asahi away while </span>
  <span>Professor </span>
  <span>Ukai took the Boggart </span>
  <span>away</span>
  <span> from him, </span>
  <span>b</span>
  <span>ut Asahi's grip was too </span>
  <span>strong</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>He wanted </span>
  <span>to stay close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!  No, Noya-Noya-kun, no!  Give him back!  Give him back, please!"  Asahi cried, and Daichi pulled him out of the classroom, hugging him and stroking his back to calm him down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi's heart was beating rapidly and he felt like he couldn't </span>
  <span>breathe</span>
  <span>.  His mind was empty, a blank slate</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and he couldn't let out a single sound except for his sobbing.  He shook </span>
  <span>as if</span>
  <span> it </span>
  <span>were freezing </span>
  <span>and his face was pale, </span>
  <span>unable</span>
  <span> to open his eyes in fear that he would see Nishinoya dead in his arms again.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya died in front of Asahi and Asahi just stood there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's just an illusion, alright?" Daichi said </span>
  <span>calmly</span>
  <span>, rubbing his back.  "Noya is fine.  He's perfectly fine.  We can even go visit him if you want.  </span>
  <span>Let’s</span>
  <span> go to his class right now, okay?  Professor Ukai would understand."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Daichi walked Asahi to the Herbology </span>
  <span>greenhouse</span>
  <span> where Nishinoya was learning what to do with Valerian.</span>
</p><p><span>"Asahi-san!"  Nishinoya greeted </span><span>him</span><span> excitedly, but his eyes </span><span>widened</span><span> when he saw </span><span>how pale Asahi’s </span><span>face </span><span>was </span><span>and </span><span>how</span><span> puffy and red </span><span>his eyes were</span><span>.  Daichi explained to the professor why they needed Nishinoya, </span><span>and he allowed</span> <span>him</span><span> to step out for a bit.  When they got into the hallway, Asahi pulled</span><span> him</span> <span>in </span><span>for a hug.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I...just watched..." he whispered into Nishinoya's neck, and even though Nishinoya heard, he didn't say anything and just hugged back.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you dye your hair?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yeah!  Do you like it?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Mhm!  It looks really cool."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>5th year was more exciting than 4th, especially when Nishinoya found him on the train right away.  Since they lived far away from each other,</span>
  <span> over the summer</span>
  <span> all they could do was send letters and gifts.  </span>
  <span>Seeing</span>
  <span> Nishinoya's excitement</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Asahi was easily pumped for the new school year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san.  You remember what I said about stealing your heart?"  The question was asked so casually Asahi </span>
  <span>wondered</span>
  <span> if it was appropriate to blush.  He nodded slowly and Nishinoya continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, I feel like I've already stolen it</span>
  <span> b</span>
  <span>ut you won't admit it.  Is that true?"  Asahi gulped and he felt like he'</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>been caught red</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>handed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I mean, you don't make it subtle!"  Nishinoya insisted.  "Your worst fear is me dying, and you do things for me that you don't want to do, and-and so many girls like you but you keep spending all your time with me.  I'm not as stupid as people think.  Just a little dumb..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing Nishinoya so worked up actually made Asahi laugh.  It was nice to know that he wasn't the only one who was thinking about this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I like you, Noya-kun, I really do-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait."  Nishinoya </span>
  <span>clutched </span>
  <span>his chest, wheezing softly.  Asahi's eyes widened</span>
  <span> and he wondered</span>
  <span> what was wrong, but then Nishinoya shook his head and held his hand up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can't just say cute things like that so suddenly.  I might puke my heart out."  This time, Asahi laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry," he said shyly, waiting for Nishinoya to calm back down before he could continue.  "But it's hard...I mean, what if I'm not what you expected or wanted?  </span>
  <span>W</span>
  <span>hat if you don't like me in </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> years to come?  What if I'm not good enough for you and I can't be who you want?  I really like you, and-and it really hurts because I want to be with you, but whenever I think about you leaving me it makes me feel like the world is crumbling and I can't think or </span>
  <span>breathe</span>
  <span>.  I can't even...I can't even think about not having you in my life anymore.  So being friends...even if it's just friends, I'm fine.  Because I don't want to lose you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped talking, out of breath, blushing hard after admitting such </span>
  <span>an embarrassing</span>
  <span> thing to Nishinoya.  He realized that the younger was probably processing Asahi's words and trying to calculate his next move, which Asahi wasn't sure would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san...isn't that what you would call love?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The question made Asahi </span>
  <span>turn</span>
  <span> red, gulping because he didn't know </span>
  <span>the answer to such a question</span>
  <span>.  He didn't know how to identify falling in love quite yet - was feeling like you were going to faint every time you saw them get hurt the definition of love?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll prove it to you then," Nishinoya said </span>
  <span>seriously</span>
  <span>, pursing his lips together and furrowing his eyebrows - so determined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll prove to you how much I like you. Because I don't think you understand-" Nishinoya looked straight into Asahi's eyes, staring </span>
  <span>so</span>
  <span> deep inside him that it made Asahi shiver.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I would give up Ryuu for you."  Asahi gasped at the declaration, quickly shaking his head and trying to refuse such a gesture.  Tanaka had </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> Nishinoya first!  That wasn't fair!  Nishinoya couldn't possibly just give up his best friend like that for someone like Asahi - no way!  He wouldn't allow it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, fine.  You look so scared," Nishinoya pouted, realizing that maybe that wasn't the best thing to offer.  An idea popped into his head and he clapped excitedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know!  I'll study!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e exclaimed excitedly </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> another declaration that made Asahi a bit worried.  Studying for Nishinoya ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been proven to be very difficult. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll get over 60% on my midterms!  How does that sound?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi bit the inside of his cheek, then shook his head.  "90%."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Nishinoya really wanted it </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> come down to this, then Asahi wanted to be certain.  He didn't know if </span>
  <span>it </span>
  <span>was a good idea</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because 90% was near impossible.  But he quickly reassured himself that 90% was an okay number - it wasn't completely impossible (technically)</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> so if Nishinoya did get 90% or over then he would be quite reassured of Nishinoya's feelings.  If Nishinoya didn't, then they could go back to being friends and Asahi could </span>
  <span>feel </span>
  <span>at peace again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya didn't seem to like the number</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"65%."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"90%."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"75%."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"90%."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"..77%."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"90%."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya's cheeks puffed and </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> sighed loudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fine, 90%..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" he mumbled in defeat.  Asahi reached forward to pet Nishinoya's </span>
  <span>head</span>
  <span>, smiling widely at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you, Noya-kun.  I'm really sorry </span>
  <span>for puttting</span>
  <span> you through all this.  Maybe you shouldn't-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I said I would do it so I will!  Don't underestimate my feelings for you!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san...." </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>here was a soft whisper in Asahi's ear, but Asahi didn't move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san..." </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>his time Asahi grumbled, trying to turn </span>
  <span>over in bed</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san...please wake up</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Asahi finally cracked one eye open </span>
  <span>to see</span>
  <span> who it </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span>.  His heart almost jumped out </span>
  <span>of his chest </span>
  <span>when </span>
  <span>he saw</span>
  <span> Aone staring down at him with </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> scary, angry look that was just his natural face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh my god!" Asahi fell out of bed tangled in the blanket</span>
  <span>, then</span>
  <span> stood up trying to regain </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> balance.  Aone </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> watched, waiting for him to calm down, until Asahi was back on the bed.  Luckily, no one else </span>
  <span>had woken </span>
  <span>up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is it, Aone</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>" Asahi asked in a whisper, his heartbeat</span>
  <span> returning</span>
  <span> to normal.  "I think Yamaguchi left the tower," Aone said, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> Asahi's eyes </span>
  <span>widened as he heard Aone’s assumption</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wha-What makes you say that?"</span>
</p><p><span>"Well, I heard footsteps, then I heard </span><span>Yamaguchi </span><span>whispering,</span> <span>‘</span><span>Q</span><span>uiet, quiet,</span><span>’ </span><span>and then I heard the door open and close."</span></p><p>
  <span>Asahi groaned, realizing that Yamaguchi probably </span>
  <span>had sneaked</span>
  <span> out of the tower if that were the case.  "Can...Can you go get him</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>then?"  Asahi whined, trying to</span>
  <span> lie </span>
  <span>back down and go to sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're already up</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Aone shook his head and sighed.  "Futakuchi will know I left and get upset with me.  I can't do it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi raised an eyebrow at Aone, wondering if he was lying just so he wouldn't have to </span>
  <span>leave </span>
  <span>the tower at night.  "How will he know?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone didn't even flinch.  "He just does."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Asahi went, not even knowing where Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>had gone</span>
  <span> and just walking around as quietly as he could.  He had to hide from several ghosts </span>
  <span>and was </span>
  <span>terrified every time he saw even a small glimmer of light.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He was going to murder Yamaguchi when he found him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yamaguchi!"  Asahi finally found him </span>
  <span>on</span>
  <span> the Slytherin side of the castle, which was probably the worst place to end up.  And to make it even worse, Yamaguchi was talking to a Slytherin!  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Slytherin looked annoyed, </span>
  <span>which made </span>
  <span>Asahi even more uneasy, but they managed to get away easily and Asahi started scolding </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> right away.</span>
</p><p><span>"Why did you have to come here at midnight?  Do you know how scary this place is at</span> <span>dark!"</span><span><br/></span><span>"I had to give something-"</span><span><br/></span><span>"Was it that important?"</span><span><br/></span><span>"....kind of.  I wanted to give it when no one else was looking..."</span></p><p>
  <span>Asahi sighed, shaking his head as</span>
  <span> they</span>
  <span> walked back to </span>
  <span>their</span>
  <span> tower </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>trying his </span>
  <span>best</span>
  <span> not to scold too loudly so they wouldn't get caught.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What was it exactly?  Alcohol or something?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"N-No!  It was just some potion I accidentally broke...</span>
  <span>it </span>
  <span>belonged to a 5th year Slytherin.  You know Tendou-san?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi did know him, and chose not to speak </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> him too often.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It was his?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yeah...but he was really mad when I broke it, so I didn't want him to get even angrier if I gave it back.  He might think </span>
  <span>I did </span>
  <span>something to it..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi just shook his head as they made it to the tower, demanding Yamaguchi go to bed as soon as possible.  They were very lucky they didn't get caught that night.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"A potion?  What kind of potion?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not sure," Asahi shrugged after explaining that nightto Nishinoya the next day.  "He said he didn't know.  It was </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> pink, standard </span>
  <span>vial</span>
  <span>.  Kind of pearly...But that's not the problem.  There's already enough tension between Hufflepuffs and Slytherins.  We don't need any more."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya snorted, rolling his eyes.  "Yeah, there's enough tension between Slytherins and every other house.  Not exactly something to worry about.""I know.  Maybe I should've just taken the potion myself..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Currently, the two were in </span>
  <span>the greenhouse, where Asahi was teaching Nishinoya how to grow muggle plants (which Nishinoya had no experience doing)</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> explaining that they took time to grow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you grow them with magic, it'll take the fun away," Asahi explained, watering a rose that they</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> planted together.  "Talking to it will make it grow </span>
  <span>healthy,</span>
  <span> though.  You should try it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya smiled as he watched Asahi talk to the plant, enjoying how such an intimidating figure could look so gentle towards a delicate rose.  Asahi </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> see the way Nishinoya looked at him, but he could definitely feel the warmth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So the potion </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>the Slytherins have it now?   Which Slytherin?"  Nishinoya asked </span>
  <span>as they left </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>greenhouse</span>
  <span>, heading to the boys</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span> bathroom so they could wash the dirt </span>
  <span>off their</span>
  <span> robes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He gave it to some blond kid with glasses </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>I'm not sure what his name is.  But apparently it belongs to Tendou."  Asahi was sure Nishinoya knew him from Quidditch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And this potion...you think it'll be a problem between Hufflepuffs and Slytherins?"  Asahi hummed and then shrugged.  "If it'll cause a fight between Hufflepuffs and Slytherins, I would prefer we just left it alone, right?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e answered, unsure why Nishinoya was so interested in it all of a sudden.  He knew Nishinoya didn't like Slytherins that much, so he probably wanted to make sure the Slytherins weren't going to do something with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It kind of bothers me</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  An unnamed potion with the Slytherins. Knowing them, they might do something."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The </span>
  <span>comment made Nishinoya stop </span>
  <span>and look </span>
  <span>over at </span>
  <span>him </span>
  <span>with raised eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So...you really do think you should have taken it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi shrugged, drying himself off </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> then helping Nishinoya </span>
  <span>clean the mud off </span>
  <span>his robes as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I mean, if it were safer, yes.  I just feel uneasy </span>
  <span>if</span>
  <span> the Slytherins have it and I don't know what it is.  So maybe </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> I guess, yes. I </span>
  <span>wish I could</span>
  <span> have just taken the potion</span>
  <span> when I could have</span>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi knew that was the dumbest thing he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> ever said when a few days later Nishinoya </span>
  <span>ran</span>
  <span> up to him excitedly and </span>
  <span>pulled </span>
  <span>him into the nearest storage closet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look</span>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>" Nishinoya first checked outside to make sure no one was </span>
  <span>watching</span>
  <span> them, then </span>
  <span>stepped </span>
  <span>back into the storage closet.  Asahi gulped at </span>
  <span>how close they were</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His nervousness suddenly shifted when Nishinoya pulled out a</span>
  <span> vial </span>
  <span>of pink potion, the exact same </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> that night Yamaguchi went to the Slytherin tower. He </span>
  <span>showed it to Asahi excitedly</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is it, right?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e asked with anticipation.  Asahi's mouth went dry when he saw Nishinoya lifting it up to his face, realizing what Nishinoya</span>
  <span> probably </span>
  <span>just </span>
  <span>did</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's this potion, right?  I got the right one, right?"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Nishinoya</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nishinoya Yuu</p><p>4th Year</p><p>Pure Blood</p><p>Gryffindor</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya without magic was already hectic.  Nishionya with magic</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though -</span>
  <span> that </span>
  <span>was chaotic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His parents never worried about their son being a Squib</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because pretty much </span>
  <span>ever </span>
  <span>since he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> popped out of his mom he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been making weird things happen all the time.  He made fires suddenly </span>
  <span>spark</span>
  <span>, the weather changed when he laughed - he’</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> even made a horse turn into a worm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya was no doubt a powerful wizard.  If only he knew how to control it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hogwarts was supposed to </span>
  <span>teach </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> how to use</span>
  <span> his magic safely, properly and for </span>
  <span>the common</span>
  <span> good.  His parents sent him expecting Nishinoya to come back a more tame wizard </span>
  <span>who</span>
  <span> only </span>
  <span>used </span>
  <span>his magic when necessary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were not happy when Nishinoya came home that summer with a note from the headmaster.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Dearest Nishinoya Guardians,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It has come to my attention that your son, Nishinoya Yuu, is an incredibly powerful wizard.  Unfortunately, this year Yuu-san has not passed any classes other than Flying.  Due to this failure to </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>achieve </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>school standards, we will be sending Yuu-san summer school work in order for him to </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>advance</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> to 2nd year.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yuu-san is a bright wizard with much potential.  We ask that Yuu-san finish </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>the following</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> assignments in order to continue his education at Hogwarts.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>,</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Headmaster</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> Akaashi</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yuu!!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>is mom </span>
  <span>roared</span>
  <span>, slamming the paper down </span>
  <span>onto</span>
  <span> the table, her face red.  "If this happens again, I swear to god you won't be able to do magic anymore, because you'll be in the hospital!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>So Nishinoya got a tutor in his 2nd year.  He didn't expect</span>
  <span> them</span>
  <span> to be able to do much, especially since his teachers all gave up within the first few months of teaching him.  It wasn't his fault the material didn't stick in his head.  It was all </span>
  <span>so </span>
  <span>boring!  There was no way he needed to know how witches used to be burnt </span>
  <span>at </span>
  <span>the stake in 1910 or something</span>
  <span> -</span>
  <span> he wasn't too sure, he </span>
  <span>hadn’t been</span>
  <span> paying attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then he met his tutor.  And oh shit did Nishinoya all of a sudden want to study.  (</span>
  <span>K</span>
  <span>ey word</span>
  <span>:</span>
  <span> want</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That determined look on Asahi's face when he said Nishinoya was going to pass for sure, how he always made the lessons appeal to Nishinoya and the amount of effort he put</span>
  <span> in -</span>
  <span> Nishinoya held back a lot that year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You like a 3rd year?  Impossible," Hinata laughed</span>
  <span>. He</span>
  <span> and Kageyama </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>listening </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> Nishinoya</span>
  <span> gush </span>
  <span>about his new crush, even though Kageyama was more focused on walking down the hallway than listening to him fangirl over a Hufflepuff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean?"  Nishinoya pouted.  He liked Asahi-san!  Was </span>
  <span>that </span>
  <span>so hard to believe?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When </span>
  <span>your crush is</span>
  <span> older, it never works out.  Trust me, it's better to just like someone your age.  You can even be in the same class!"  Hinata exclaimed excitedly, but Nishinoya didn't point out that </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span>, Hinata and Kageyama were friends even though Nishinoya was a year older.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who cares about age when you have chemistry?  I'm telling you, Asahi-san and I are </span>
  <span>- O</span>
  <span>h!  Sorry</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Nishinoya startled </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> he bumped into</span>
  <span> someone’s</span>
  <span> back, the person turning </span>
  <span>around</span>
  <span> and looking down at Nishinoya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red haired and Slytherin, irritated eyes looking straight at him. </span>
  <span>  Nishinoya was about to bow and </span>
  <span>apologize </span>
  <span>until </span>
  <span>he started snarling</span>
  <span> at him.</span>
</p><p><span>"Fucking hell, they really let </span><em><span>anyone</span></em> <span>into </span><span>Hogwarts nowadays, don't they?"  </span><span>t</span><span>he Slytherin scoffed, crossing his arms as he leaned down to get </span><span>on</span><span> Nishinoya's eye level.</span><span><br/></span><span>"How old are you, hm?  10?"</span></p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya growled back, clenching his fist.  "You really wanna go, ketchup head?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh no, save me!  I'm being attacked by a baby who just learned how to walk!"</span>
</p><p><span>Nishinoya didn't need </span><span>to hear anything else</span><span> before he jumped on the Slytherin </span><span>and bit</span><span> down on his shoulder,</span> <span>a weird animal noise</span><span> coming</span> <span>out of him.  The Slytherin was shocked by the sudden attack, gasping and trying to shove Nishinoya off.</span></p><p>
  <span>"He-Hey!  The fuck you think you're doing, kid?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya </span>
  <span>wasn’t budging</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, instead biting harder.  It took</span>
  <span> two </span>
  <span>teachers and Kageyama screaming how stupid he was for him to finally stop and glare at the Slytherin as they walked past.  He lost Gryffindor 10 points that day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya later learned the student's name was Tendou.  And he also learned that he absolutely hated Slytherins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan?  Did you hear something?  I think there's a worm calling out</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>hat bastard Oikawa pretended he couldn't hear Nishinoya saying excuse me in the hallway</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> instead act</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> like he couldn't move his damn legs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> this worm apologizes</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Nishinoya gritted his teeth, kicking Oikawa right on the back of the leg </span>
  <span>to make</span>
  <span> the stupid pretty boy finally move.  He could hear his friend, Iwa-chan or whatever, saying</span>
  <span>, “</span>
  <span>I told you not to say anything stupid,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> but even though Nishinoya agreed with that statement it didn't excuse such behaviour.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Futakuchi wasn't an exception even though he was dating a Hufflepuff - and Nishinoya loved Hufflepuffs - not lending Nishinoya an extra quill when he forgot </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> in his dorm.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Maybe if I liked you, I </span>
  <span>would </span>
  <span>have</span>
  <span>," he shrugged with a sly smirk.  Nishinoya tightened his jaw and punched Futakuchi in the stomach a second </span>
  <span>later</span>
  <span>.  He was very lucky Futakuchi's boyfriend was nicer than he looked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"All Slytherin</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> are scum," Nishinoya was ranting one day at the dining table, Kuroo and Bokuto half listening to him and half fighting over the last slice of beef on the table since they both had rice</span>
  <span> left over</span>
  <span>.  Nishinoya ended up taking it when both of them weren't looking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I mean, how could a person be so cruel?  Is it all of them?  I can't believe they think they're better than everyone else!  It's disgusting, honestly."  Kuroo was the first to leave when they realized all Nishinoya was going to do the whole time was rant about Slytherins</span>
  <span>, with</span>
  <span> Bokuto</span>
  <span> leaving</span>
  <span> soon after, not forgetting to grab a dessert.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe you're judging them too much, you know?"  Bokuto said with a small shrug.  "I don't like them either, don't get me wrong.  But maybe not all of them are like that."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara wasn't like that.  Nishinoya learned the name from Daichi one day, but he</span>
  <span> hadn’t realized </span>
  <span>Sugawara was a Slytherin, and he especially </span>
  <span>hadn’t expected </span>
  <span>Sugawara to be bullied by other Slytherins</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mudblood piece of shit</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>He and </span>
  <span>Tanaka were </span>
  <span>taking </span>
  <span>a shortcut to Quidditch practice when they stumbled upon </span>
  <span>the scene</span>
  <span>.  "Probably get fucked in the ass just to stay here, don't you?  Bet you like it!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara was surrounded by</span>
  <span> three </span>
  <span>Slytherin boys, all of </span>
  <span>whom were</span>
  <span> kicking him at once.  Sugawara</span>
  <span> just </span>
  <span>took it, laying there, which Nishinoya and Tanaka did not appreciate one bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oi!  Get the fuck outta here!"  Tanaka screamed, </span>
  <span>and he</span>
  <span> and Nishinoya</span>
  <span> ran </span>
  <span>down, charging at them like mad men with their wands out.  </span>
  <span>The Slytherins were startled, all four of them, as Tanaka and Nishinoya attacked.</span>
  
  <span>Nishinoya even managed to jump on one of them, headbutting him hard and screaming like a war call.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fuck you, snake-looking</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>ass bastards!"  The attack managed to scare them away </span>
  <span>until only</span>
  <span> Sugawara was</span>
  <span> left </span>
  <span>lying</span>
  <span> there limp.  Tanaka tried to help him a bit with a healing spell, and even though it was pretty weak, Sugawara managed to smile a bit and nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, you guys.  You didn't have to, but I appreciate it."  It must have </span>
  <span>taken a while to register </span>
  <span>that the two were Gryffindor</span>
  <span>s,</span>
  <span> because it wasn't until a few seconds </span>
  <span>later that</span>
  <span> Sugawara </span>
  <span>sat upright, </span>
  <span>his eyes </span>
  <span>wide </span>
  <span>in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You</span>
  <span> - D</span>
  <span>o you guys know Daichi-kun?"  Tanaka and Nishinoya looked at each other, then back at Sugawara, nodding.  "Daichi-san?  Yeah, why?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of a sudden Sugawara looked desperate.  He </span>
  <span>grabbed</span>
  <span> Nishinoya by the shoulders and shook him, a nervous expression on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can't tell him what you saw.  Please don't tell him what you saw.  Promise me, okay?""Eh?  But why-""Promise me!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya didn't understand, but Sugawara looked so desperate and his voice was </span>
  <span>so</span>
  <span> urgent that he nodded his head slowly</span>
  <span>, gulping</span>
  <span>.  "O-Okay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara looked between the </span>
  <span>two</span>
  <span> of them, </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>Tanaka nodd</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>as well.  They </span>
  <span>couldn’t </span>
  <span>see what the big deal was, but the Slytherin looked relieved, smiling at them and patting their heads.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good.  Thank you</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>His voice was soft</span>
  <span> again before he walked away with a slight limp.  Nishinoya and Tanaka </span>
  <span>saw </span>
  <span>him in the halls with Daichi after that, but</span>
  <span> they </span>
  <span>didn't say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"You're doing really well!  27 points?  That's 15 more, isn't it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi probably didn’t remember saying this, </span>
  <span>but it always made Nishinoya melt every time the memory popped in his mind.</span>
  <span>  Sometimes he wished he could use the Pensieve - a magical object</span>
  <span> that displayed</span>
  <span> one's memories - just to watch it again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was what motivated Nishinoya to continue working hard (as hard as he could, at least) so that he could finally make Asahi proud.  And when he learned that he didn't even need to be failing to see Asahi, he was practically soaring through the sky in happiness!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Getting Asahi to play Quidditch when Nishinoya was in 3rd year and Asahi in 4th was probably the best idea Nishinoya </span>
  <span>had ever had </span>
  <span>thus far</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  Seeing Asahi </span>
  <span>sweat </span>
  <span>like that, his concentrated face when he caught the </span>
  <span>Quaffle</span>
  <span>s </span>
  <span>and aimed</span>
  <span> it</span>
  <span> - Asahi </span>
  <span>training? </span>
  <span> He thought he might pass out just from watching him play.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Get a fucking room," Kuroo snarled at him one day</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Nishinoya </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> checking Asahi out as he was practising with the Hufflepuff team. He's definitely been watching the practices, getting a good look at the Hufflepuff, especially in the summertime when Asahi had to wear a tank top and shorts - </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Didn't you get rejected?"  Kuroo asked obnoxiously, making Nishinoya's whole face </span>
  <span>turn </span>
  <span>red in anger at the reminder that Asahi </span>
  <span>had friendzoned </span>
  <span>him not too long ago</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Nishionya </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> made a vow to capture his heart</span>
  <span>, though,</span>
  <span> one way </span>
  <span>or </span>
  <span>another.  Of course, Nishinoya </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> blabbed it to the whole common room, telling everyone that he and Asahi would be dating before Asahi graduated.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Everyone kind of just dismissed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm progressing," Nishinoya mumbled, but he had to admit that he would get discouraged as well whenever Asahi was nice to him.  He thought that all those passes Asahi made, Nishinoya was catching them perfectly.  It turned out that Asahi was making a pass, just not the kind Nishinoya thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eh, don't worry about it</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kuroo patted his back, not looking at Nishinoya and just watching the Hufflepuff team even though Nishinoya was looking </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span> at him now.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The farther they push away," Kuroo grinned, Nishinoya pretty sure he was thinking about something else now.  "Doesn't it make the romance sweeter?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>90 was a big number</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> Nishinoya didn't know how he was going to do it.  He knew it was a stupid promise because he wasn't going to make it.  Even though he desperately wanted to date Asahi properly, going from barely a 50% to a 90% - it couldn't be done!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You should change bodies with someone</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then," Bokuto suggested one evening as Nishinoya was ranting to everyone how he couldn't possibly make it to 90% in a matter of 5 months.  "Some smartass who knows what they're doing.  You could probably find a spell </span>
  <span>for</span>
  <span> that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Nishinoya did his research with Hinata one night, the orange</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>haired Gryffindor growling as he </span>
  <span>tore</span>
  <span> through the pages.  Nishinoya watched him curiously as Hinata angrily read</span>
  <em>
    <span> A Book of Spells</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, you okay there, Shouyou?""No!"  Hinata replied immediately with an angry look on his face.  "Natsu-chan has a crush!  Some Hufflepuff </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>ugh!  I can't stand not being in her house!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya raised his eyebrows at Hinata, setting aside his own task for now to hear a little more about it.  "On who?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Some 'Tadashi' kid she's been calling 'Tadashi-sama' </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> I don't know, okay?  I just know he's a Hufflepuff and she's been following him around all the time.  I can't even check on her because she's in the </span>
  <span>girls’</span>
  <span> dormitory!  It's pissing me off!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya nodded slowly, going back to his own book as he looked for a </span>
  <span>body-switching spell</span>
  <span>.  "Sorry, what were you looking for again?  I'll find my spell later - I'm planning to get that Tadashi kid soon!  Kuroo's already finding out everything I need to know about him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya explained how he needed to get </span>
  <span>a </span>
  <span>90% on his midterm but knew he couldn't</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> so he was looking for a spell to switch his body with someone smarter.  He thought Hinata out of all people would think the plan was brilliant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Hinata just looked confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If it's for the person you like..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>isn't that a little..." Nishinoya furrowed his eyebrows and scoffed.  "What do you think you're saying?  This plan is amazing.  Bokuto-san's best one yet, in my </span>
  <span>opinion</span>
  <span>."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Hinata hummed and nodded, but he still didn't look convinced.  "But you like Asahi-san.  So </span>
  <span>cheating</span>
  <span>..</span>
  <span>.doesn’t it </span>
  <span>make the act less genuine?  Won't he be sad when he </span>
  <span>finds</span>
  <span> out it wasn't actually you who got </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> 90%?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya slammed the spell book shut and put it back where he found it, realizing Hinata was right.  It pissed him off.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Ryuu, does Saeko-nee-san still have her invisibility cloak?"  </span>
</p><p><span>The opportunity was perfect</span><span>,</span><span> presented </span><span>to</span><span> Nishinoya on a </span><span>silver</span><span> platter.  Asahi wanted something?  Something from a Slytherin?  And Tendou of all people - it was like Nishinoya</span> <span>hit the jackpot.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I think so.  You need it?""Yes.  I do."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sneaking into the Slytherin tower was harder than he thought, but he did it.  Tanaka's older sister </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>managed to</span>
  <span> pass </span>
  <span>down a rare invisibility cloak from the Tanaka family, which ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> helped Tanaka and Nishinoya tremendously in their school </span>
  <span>lives</span>
  <span>, especially now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only problem was finding Tendou's room.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything was </span>
  <span>so</span>
  <span> green, Nishinoya thought he was going to puke.  The only people in the common room </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>that Oikawa bastard and Iwa-chan - who Nishinoya learned was </span>
  <span>actually</span>
  <span> Iwaizumi, a fellow Beater on the Quidditch team - and they didn't seem to notice anything when Nishinoya sneaked in while someone was leaving.  </span>
</p><p><span>The </span><span>invisibility </span><span>cloak was perfect, especially for someone his size </span><span>who </span><span>could wrap it around himself like a dress so he didn't have to worry about holding it up the whole time.  Tendou's room ended up being very far down the hallway, one of the last rooms, and the door was wide open - it was like the universe was</span> <span>just </span><em><span>asking</span></em> <span>Nishinoya to steal it.</span></p><p><span>"Where is it?"  </span><span>h</span><span>e whispered to himself, finding Tendou's bed and side table</span> <span>but not </span><span>seeing </span><span>the potion anywhere.  </span><span>Had he taken</span><span> it?  Was he carrying it with him right now?  Nishinoya was looking through all the drawers in </span><span>the</span><span> room by then, searching carefully until he heard someone coming up </span><span>the stairs </span><span>and stopped touching everything</span><span>.</span></p><p>
  <span>"-chan.  Trust me, girls are a waste of your time!"  Oikawa seemed angry as he entered the bedroom.  Nishinoya desperately </span>
  <span>tried</span>
  <span> to leave the room quietly, but at the last minute Iwaizumi walked through the door</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too, making Nishionya suck his stomach in and hold his breath.  They were right beside each other in the </span>
  <span>doorway</span>
  <span>, Iwaizumi facing inside the room while Nishinoya was facing Iwaizumi - at this point he was sweating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I told you, I rejected her-""But you still liked </span>
  <span>getting</span>
  <span> a confession, didn’t you?  I saw your face, don't lie to me!"</span>
</p><p><span>Nishinoya tiptoed quietly past Iwaizumi, able to </span><span>breathe</span><span> again once he was out </span><span>of</span> <span>the</span><span> room.  Feeling a little defeated, he started walking down the steps of the Slytherin tower, sad and invisible, until by some miracle, he saw it!</span></p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima, Slytherin's Keeper - he was holding it!  </span>
  <span>A p</span>
  <span>ink, pearly potion in a standard bottle.  Did Nishinoya know if it was the right one?  Hell no!  But he didn't care!  It was in the Slytherin tower and it fit the description, which was enough for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly walking </span>
  <span>up to Tsukishima with the invisibility cloak on, waiting till he was right in front of him, </span>
  <span>that’s when Nishinoya </span>
  <span>snatched</span>
  <span> it.  Tsukishima didn't even have a clue!  Nishinoya hid it under the invisibility cloak, and the dumb blond </span>
  <span>bastard</span>
  <span> was probably too shocked to notice.</span>
</p><p><span>"Hey!  Hey, what the-" Nishinoya didn't</span> <span>even </span><span>hear him, giggling to himself as he ran down the rest of the stairs.  Nishinoya </span><span>had gotten</span><span> the potion (maybe) and Asahi would be so proud of him!  He would probably be all over </span><span>him</span><span> for doing something so brave and sprinkle him with kisses!</span></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean 'give it back?</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>"  This was the seventh time Nishionya ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> asked </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> while following Asahi down the</span>
  <span> hallway</span>
  <span>.  Asahi was threatening </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>take the potion and return it to Tendou</span>
  <span> himself </span>
  <span>if Nishinoya wouldn't.  The Gryffindor didn’t seem to understand at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You said you wanted it-""No.  I did not say I wanted the potion.  I said I wanted no conflict between Hufflepuffs and Slytherins.  This probably caused even more!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This would be the first time Nishinoya </span>
  <span>had ever seen</span>
  <span> Asahi angry - why did it have to be towards him?  He thought </span>
  <span>he’d finally done </span>
  <span>something good to relieve some of </span>
  <span>his tension</span>
  <span>.  </span>
  <span>Wasn’t the</span>
  <span> potion much better in literally anyone else's hands</span>
  <span> other than</span>
  <span> a Slytherin?</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He didn't understand why Asahi was upset.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm telling you, Noya-kun.  Stealing it will only bring more problems.  They'll probably accuse a Hufflepuff now," Asahi pointed out, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We need to give it back to Tendou.  I'll do it for you, okay?  I know you meant well, but please.  We can't have a fight over this."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Nishinoya hated how Asahi still managed to sound so kind despite being clearly inconvenienced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This-This is all your fault!"  Nishinoya cried out, his eyes watering</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but he told himself he wouldn't cry over something stupid like this.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But this wasn't stupid.  Asahi sounded so annoyed, which Nishinoya couldn't take at all.  He wanted Asahi to like him.  </span>
  <span>Being so overwhelmed by g</span>
  <span>etting rejected plus that stupid condition of 90% - it was getting to his head now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"90% is too much!  This is </span>
  <span>all </span>
  <span>your fault!"  Nishinoya yelled again</span>
  <span>. T</span>
  <span>he lights of the hallway flicker</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span>, and Asahi started to panic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Noya-kun, wait a second-""If you weren't so scared all the time, this wouldn't be happening.  If you just accepted that you liked me too, I wouldn't be doing all this!  Why can't you just say you like me back!  If you hate me so much, reject me properly!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The windows shattered as Nishinoya screamed, his hand clench</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> around the bottle of the stupid potion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You like me</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too</span>
  <span>! W</span>
  <span>hy can't you just say it</span>
  <span>?!</span>
  <span>""I already told you, Noya-kun, please, just calm-""I can't calm down!  You're always backing </span>
  <span>away from the</span>
  <span> things you want."  Nishinoya was making the portraits around them scared, hiding away in the frames.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You like magic, right?  Then do magic!  You like Quidditch, then play Quidditch!  You like me, then have me!  You don't have to make me do all of this!"  He was frustrated.  Asahi looking at him in shock wasn't helping</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> either, </span>
  <span>just making him </span>
  <span>realize how much</span>
  <span> he’d</span>
  <span> been keeping in</span>
  <span> up after</span>
  <span> a long time of watching Asahi let </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>things he liked go because of a little fear.  Not </span>
  <span>only </span>
  <span>liking Nishinoya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just be brave for once!"  Nishinoya finally looked at Asahi properly after his rant, expecting him to look dejected and scared.  Even that was better than what he saw</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, which was Asahi upset and irritated.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Asahi's eyebrows were furrowed, his fists clench</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> and his jaw locked.  Nishinoya </span>
  <span>braced himself </span>
  <span>to be yelled at, but of course Asahi didn't do that.  Asahi could never.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's not fair," </span>
  <span>Asahi </span>
  <span>said quietly, holding his hand out to Nishinoya.  "Give me that potion.  I'm taking it back to Tendou."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya gritted his teeth when he heard the name, getting angry again.  "You want this fucking potion so badly?"</span>
</p><p><span>It was in the moment, Nishinoya pulling</span> <span>his arm back and throwing the potion out the window, far, far into the distance he wasn't exactly sure where it went.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Noya-kun-!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then go get it!  Give it back to your friend Tendou."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya knew he was being a child.  It was immature to throw the potion like that </span>
  <span>when </span>
  <span>he wasn't even sure what it was.  It could be dangerous or deadly, but </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>thought didn't seem to occur to him as he began walking down the hall towards the Gryffindor tower, his lips trembling when he didn't hear Asahi </span>
  <span>following </span>
  <span>him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Kenma</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kozume Kenma </p><p>4th Year</p><p>Pure Blood </p><p>Ravenclaw</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aw, are you waiting for me, Kenma?  Should've told me, I would've come out sooner!"  Kuroo seemed to be very excited when he saw Kenma there outside of Gryffindor tower, looking like he was waiting for something.  The blond just stared at him blankly for a few seconds before shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not really."</span>
</p><p><span>"What?  Then who're you waiting for?"  At that moment, Hinata came racing down the Gryffindor staircase, smiling widely as</span> <span>he got down to the bottom.  Kenma stood up beside Hinata.</span></p><p><span>"Let's go, Shouyou.""Woohoo!"  Hinata cheered while Kuroo gaped at the </span><span>two</span><span> of them.  Hinata and Kenma had to be the oddest pair anyone had</span> <span>seen yet, especially since Kenma usually found personalities similar to Hinata's annoying - including Kuroo's.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I can't wait!"  Hinata exclaimed as </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>and Kenma walked down the hallway, Kuroo still </span>
  <span>standing there</span>
  <span> in disbelief that Hinata and Kenma enjoyed each other's company outside of Quidditch.  Both of them being Seekers, it was inevitable that they would talk eventually, but no one </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> realized they would be close friends</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What did you want to show me again?"  Hinata asked dumbly as Kenma led him to the back of the Ravenclaw tower.  Kenma was </span>
  <span>heading </span>
  <span>towards</span>
  <span> a more green area, lots of bushes and trees, but there was a blanket and a cardboard box </span>
  <span>where he stopped</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He might take a while</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kenma explained but didn't answer the question, taking out a bag of bread from his robes</span>
  <span>. He</span>
  <span> sat down, motioning for Hinata to sit </span>
  <span>beside </span>
  <span>him.  "Sometimes he doesn't come.  But it's nice outside, so I figured he should."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma and Hinata talked while they waited for whatever Kenma wanted to show him, discussing future Quidditch matches and what they would be learning in their classes</span>
  <span> that </span>
  <span>year.  Hinata seemed a little too excited for his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm just saying, I could totally face a Dementor if it attacked me!  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Expecto patronu</span>
  </em>
  <span>-""Shh.  You hear that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a rustle in the bushes and then finally, he appeared.  A black, bushy cat, walking all the way up to Kenma and nuzzling into his hands.  Kenma managed </span>
  <span>a </span>
  <span>very small </span>
  <span>smile</span>
  <span> before taking out the bread and feeding his secret pet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Woah!"  The cat looked over at Hinata and hissed at him, taking his claws out and jumping, but Kenma caught him quickly, putting the cat back in his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No.  Bad Tetsurou," Kenma scolded, petting the cat's head soothingly </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>making </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> purr.  Hinata was shaken up </span>
  <span>from </span>
  <span>the attack, but when he heard the name he quickly forgot the offense</span>
  <span> and widened</span>
  <span> his eyes at Kenma.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tetsurou?  As in Kuro-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't.  Don't say it."  Kenma's voice was sharp </span>
  <span>not looking at Hinata.</span>
  <span>  "Don't say it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma found the cat way back in 2nd year</span>
  <span> as he lay</span>
  <span> on the grass after </span>
  <span>an annoying</span>
  <span> day of classes.  The Slytherins kept making fun of his hair, he messed up in Charms multiple times and Herbology had the stupidest lessons ever made.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was really stressful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then Tetsurou came.  Such a tame cat with Kenma, who liked to cuddle him, and he didn't talk all the time.  It was an accident naming him </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>Kenma just </span>
  <span>blurted</span>
  <span> out</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Y</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>ou look like Kuroo,</span>
  </em>
  <span>" and the cat seemed very responsive to it.  So he ended up naming him Tetsurou.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't get it," Hinata tsk'ed.  "You like someone, then you like someone.  Just tell them!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't that easy for Kenma</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  It was difficult to explain, and he didn't like to think about it or else he would punch someone in the face.  Kenma didn't want to punch Hinata in the face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're in the same position as me</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though," Kenma pointed out, but Hinata quickly shook his head before Kenma could continue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not the same!  Kuroo actually likes you back, but Kageyama...I don't even know if we're actually friends sometimes."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma didn't say anything after that, knowing Hinata had a very good point.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"How do I use it?""I'll show you."</span>
</p><p><span>When Kuroo said</span><span>,</span> <span>“S</span><span>urprise</span><span>!”</span><span> Kenma thought Kuroo was throwing him a </span><span>“</span><span>congratulations on making it to 4th year</span><span>”</span><span> party or something, because what could Kuroo possibly offer Kenma?  It turned out a box with buttons was what Kuroo thought he was worth.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Here, you turn it on by pressing this button.  Then</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>here was a nice noise that came out of the box and the screen lit up.  Kenma watched in fascination as words appeared on the screen </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> something called a</span>
  <span> “</span>
  <span>Main Menu</span>
  <span>” </span>
  <span>popped up.  He couldn't see it, but Kuroo was grinning proudly.</span>
</p><p><span>"You have trouble sleeping, right?"  Kuroo said after showing Kenma how to use the Gameboy, teaching him the different controls and letting him play a few rounds.  "I figured if you're going to stay</span> <span>up all night, might as well be doing something fun, right?"</span></p><p>
  <span>At the time, Kenma </span>
  <span>hadn’t </span>
  <span>know</span>
  <span>n</span>
  <span> how to respond.  Now he realized maybe a </span>
  <span>simple </span>
  <span>“T</span>
  <span>hank you</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> would have done it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know I like you, right</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>Kenma?  Very, very much."  Kuroo smiled down at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> the way Kenma hated</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> so much </span>
  <span>so</span>
  <span> he could've punched Kuroo in the stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>I like you too,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> was what Kenma </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're annoying" </span>
  <span>w</span>
  <span>as what he ended up saying, leaving Kuroo there and not looking back to see what his expression was.  Sometimes Kenma wished </span>
  <span>he’d seen</span>
  <span> it, just so he could know if Kuroo took him seriously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma ended up being obsessed with the games Kuroo gave him, even though there </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> only 3.  He played them every night, which Akaashi found extremely annoying considering his bed was right beside Kenma's, but Kenma </span>
  <span>discovered </span>
  <span>that when the game had sound on he was able to beat </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> much easier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kept the Gameboy under his pillow, hiding it every night so that when the head of the house did inspections to see if anyone had anything sketchy in their rooms, Kenma wouldn't lose </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span>.  He really thought it would work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Akaashi, where's my game?"  Kenma asked in what seemed like a calm voice, but Akaashi knew he was freaking out,</span>
  <span> which was confirmed </span>
  <span>when he started tearing through the</span>
  <span> bedsheets </span>
  <span>and crawled under his bed searching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Game?"  Akaashi watched as Kenma looked around, then joined him, crouching low to try and find something out of place, but Akaashi didn't exactly know what he was looking for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, the one I've been playing these days.  It was a blue rectangle, and it had a cross button and a screen and-" Kenma sighed, taking the pillows out of their pillowcases </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>then double</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>check</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> the drawers to see if he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> missed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please help me find it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It</span>
  <span> had been</span>
  <span> over an hour and they still hadn't found it.  Kenma seemed very stressed out, tying his hair up as he tried to search every single small corner of the room, even if it was impossible for the game to be there.  He had to find it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just ask Kuroo for another one-""I can't</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>" Kenma snapped</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> making Akaashi </span>
  <span>go silent </span>
  <span>because it was clear Kenma was getting frustrated.  Technically he could ask Kuroo to buy another one for him, he probably would've said yes.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It was a gift.  It was a gift, I can't ask for another gift." </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Kenma knew Kuroo's family.  He knew Kuroo must have saved up for that Gameboy.  He couldn't have Kuroo </span>
  <span>find out </span>
  <span>he lost it or else Kuroo would work again and just end up making things hard for himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kenma, I think they took it.  They must have confiscated it during-""It wasn't theirs!  It was mine, okay?  I need it back!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi was sure that was the first time he heard Kenma scream.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"We'll get caught."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"No one comes in here anyway</span>
  <span>. I</span>
  <span>t's fine."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Tendou, I really think-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Shh, my sweet Waka-chan.  I'm sure it'll be fine."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catching Ushijima and Tendou making out in the library was not how Kenma wanted to spend his weekend.  Especially after he accepted defeat losing his Gameboy </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>he was already in a prissy mood </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> he didn't want couples being all lovey-dovey in his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, Kozume-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll find somewhere else to study.  Sorry, Ushijima-san.  Continue</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  Kenma grumbled, slamming the door </span>
  <span>on his way out</span>
  <span>, unsure exactly </span>
  <span>what </span>
  <span>he was angry at now.  This would be the first time such a strong emotion ha</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>taken over his usual </span>
  <span>calm</span>
  <span> demeanor.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He hated it.</span>
</p><p><span>Making Amortentia the </span><span>following</span><span> Monday was probably the worst way to lift his spirits</span><span>,</span><span> because the stupid potion made Kenma</span> <em><span>cry</span></em><span>.  Not even a few tears dropping down - Kenma was sobbing.</span><span><br/></span><span>Akaashi seemed concerned</span><span> and called </span><span>out to him, but Kenma was already running out of the room, not knowing exactly where he was going.  He just needed to get out of that classroom or else he was going to burst.</span></p><p>
  <span>Kuroo.  Kuroo, Kuroo, that damn Kuroo Tetsurou.  Who gave him permission to flood Kenma's heart like this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma's feet ended up running to the back of the Ravenclaw tower, right to the cardboard box filled with breadcrumbs and a blanket.  Of course he didn't expect his secret pet to be there, especially since the cat seemed to have a schedule of his own, but just being there was enough to calm him down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crying like this - how old was he?  Crying because he was in love was pathetic.  He should be able to face these feelings head</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>on, especially when Kuroo liked him back!  Every time he tried to admit it out loud</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, it was like the words were swallowed back down and he couldn't think anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Kenma felt a familiar nuzzle on his calf, he gasped and looked down, sniffling as he saw Tetsurou purring at </span>
  <span>his </span>
  <span>touch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tetsurou," he chuckled, </span>
  <span>sinking</span>
  <span> down and putting the cat in his lap, petting and cuddling it.  "How did you know I needed you right now?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was like</span>
  <span> he and </span>
  <span>Tetsurou could communicate, even though the cat obviously couldn't talk.  But Tetsurou was much easier to talk to than most humans and didn't make facial expressions that Kenma couldn't understand.  Tetsurou was quiet and knew exactly what to do when Kenma needed support.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kuroo</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>” Kenma picked up the cat </span>
  <span>and put</span>
  <span> their foreheads together</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> looking straight into his cat eyes very seriously.  "I like you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma felt pathetic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know they </span>
  <span>allow</span>
  <span> cats as pets</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>"</span>
  <span> T</span>
  <span>he voice startled Kenma, but when he turned and saw Akaashi there he calmed down.  Akaashi sat next to him </span>
  <span>and reached out</span>
  <span> to pet the cat, which </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>seemed to not care about too much, but he did end up purring a bit after a few strokes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know.  I've tried before, but he never stays," Kenma explained in a slightly sad tone, remembering the various attempts </span>
  <span>to keep </span>
  <span>Tetsurou in his dorm.  Every morning</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, the cat would disappear and days later would be back in his cardboard box.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I...see..." Akaashi said slowly, eyeing the cat for a while, but then shook his head, taking his hand away and looking over to Kenma.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You smelt Kuroo-san, I'm guessing</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Akaashi didn't even ask, but Kenma nodded, hugging the cat closer.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's just not fair..." he sighed, bowing his head down in defeat - well, he sort of was.  Defeated by his stupid feelings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He can say these things so easily, but when I try...it's hard."  Akaashi didn't comment, just nodding and listening to Kenma, sort of similar to how Tetsurou </span>
  <span>did</span>
  <span>.  Akaashi was a good friend, but he wasn't Kuroo and he certainly wasn't Hinata.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Yet Kenma found himself talking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How did you tell Bokuto-san?"  Akaashi had to think about his answer for a moment, then just shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"'I like you more than normal.</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>  Something simple like this.  He did reject me though, remember that.  But after putting in the effort, I suppose it was worth it."  Kenma had to groan because in this case he was the Bokuto, not the Akaashi, which pissed him off even more.  That meant all Kuroo was doing was putting in effort and waiting for Kenma to accept.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know it's hard, especially when it's difficult to talk to them properly in the first place, but after</span>
  <span>wards</span>
  <span>, the outcome is..." Akaashi was smiling softly up into the sky, his eyes following the path of some crows flying above them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Very sweet."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"What are you making?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was later that week when Kenma came up with a plan to tell Kuroo just how much he liked him.  The past few days he'</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>been avoiding </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> after smelling that stupid Amortentia</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and he </span>
  <span>hadn’t been</span>
  <span> able to look at him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But Kuroo must have known something was up, so the next time they saw each other Kenma wanted to approach him properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A truth potion," Kenma replied as Akaashi walked into the</span>
  <span> P</span>
  <span>otions room where </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>was </span>
  <span>working</span>
  <span> alone.  He</span>
  <span>’d </span>
  <span>managed to ask </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor Takeda to open it up for him after promising he wouldn't tell the other students he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> caught him and </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor Ukai making out in the Ravenclaw </span>
  <span>changing</span>
  <span> rooms after a Quidditch match.  Professor Takeda wasn't amused, but </span>
  <span>he allowed it</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"For who?"  Akaashi asked, raising an eyebrow at Kenma as he sat down, watching as </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> stirred his ingredients.  "To find out who took your game?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma</span>
  <span>'s</span>
  <span> jaw </span>
  <span>clenched</span>
  <span> at the reminder of his game being stolen, or confiscated, he still wasn't sure </span>
  <span>which</span>
  <span>, but </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> quickly forgot about it once his potion bubbled.  Akaashi helped him chop some Valerian roots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's for me," Kenma answered, making Akaashi stop for a brief moment.  "I'm gonna tell Kuroo exactly how I feel about him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn't sure if this was the best idea, but it was better than not being able to see Kuroo at all.  Kenma was a little scared of what he might accidentally admit while under the truth potion, but at this point he was desperate.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He needed to tell Kuroo or else he really was </span>
  <span>going</span>
  <span> to burst into a million pieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh?  And what do you hope to say to him?"  Akaashi asked, still helping Kenma with the potion even though he thought it was absurd to </span>
  <span>mix </span>
  <span>magic </span>
  <span>with</span>
  <span> feelings.  He didn't tell Kenma that</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kuroo...he pisses me off</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kenma gritted his teeth, holding the spatula tightly as he stirred the potion and</span>
  <span> watched</span>
  <span> it come </span>
  <span>together</span>
  <span>.  "Every time he's so happy to see me, I want to punch him in the face.  When he waits for me outside of my classroom so he can walk me to my next, I want to kick him in the shin.  When he buys me gifts, it makes me want to puke</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>” </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>is tone was angry as he ranted about Kuroo.  This might be the first time he'</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>ever talked this much in general.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"And when he says he likes me...my heart gets bigger and then it feels like it's about to break.  And I want to say it back, but then my throat tightens up and I can't think about anything else but him.  I want to tell him so badly, but something always stops me and I push him away</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> I don't want that anymore, but how am I supposed to say that?  It pisses me of</span>
  <span>f</span>
  <span>.  He pisses me off.  He has no business being on my mind all the fucking time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma was taking deep breaths at </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> point, throwing the spatula on the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kuroo pisses me off...but I want him to piss me off for the rest of my life."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi threw in the last ingredient of the potion, taking the spatula and stirring it in.  He shrugged after Kenma's tangent, then looked up at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then tell him that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma sighed and shook his head, feeling like he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> wasted his breath for nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I just said, I can't-""No."  Akaashi cut him off and then smiled at him, though the smile was very small.  It was an encouraging smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tell him he pisses you off.  And that he should be taking responsibility."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma didn't take the truth potion.  He was running up and down the halls, focusing on the Gryffindor side of the castle and asking desperately if anyone ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> seen Kuroo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kageyama, have you seen Kuroo recently?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I think I saw him go to the library just now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Kenma rushed into the library all he found was Yamaguchi and Hinata's younger sister studying together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, Natsu-chan, Yamaguchi</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kenma greeted </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span>, trying to sound friendly.  "Have you guys seen Kuroo around?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kuroo-nii-san?  He just left.  He gave me some cookies</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>though, would you like some?"  Yamaguchi nodded in agreement, claiming that Kuroo </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> just left a few minutes ago.  "But he said he was going to do some solo Quidditch practice."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma ran out, heading to the field and trying to look up at the sky to see if Kuroo was flying around.  It seemed the Slytherin team was practising because he didn't see a single red garment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ow!...</span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>he fuck..." Kenma was hit in the head by something hard, making him flinch and hiss in pain.  He had to rub the back of his head to soothe himself, </span>
  <span>then turned</span>
  <span> around to see what </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> hit him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he looked down, he couldn't say he expected</span>
  <span> to find</span>
  <span> a potion bottle filled with Amortentia at all.  "Oh...</span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>his is Akaashi's..." Kenma remember</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> that Akaashi </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>asked to take some</span>
  <span> the </span>
  <span>day they made it in class, and the only reason </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor Takeda </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> agreed was because he trusted Akaashi wouldn't do anything dangerous with it since Akaashi was smart and his dad would keep him in check.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one else should have it since it was deadly in the wrong hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kenma!"  The voice made Kenma's eyes widen and he turned around.  Kuroo was there.  Kuroo was there, in front of him, broom in hand and </span>
  <span>a </span>
  <span>smile on his face.  Kuroo was there and Kenma all of a sudden wasn't as ready as he thought he would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What're you here for?"  Kuroo asked, obviously finding it weird that Kenma would be out on the field when it was </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>Slytherins who were practising.  The Ravenclaw gulped, stepping back.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was happening again.  His throat was closing and his palms were sweating.  He couldn't think, and when it was only Kuroo there, staring at him, he felt like a volcano </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> erupted inside his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kuroo</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kenma had to take deep breaths, hoping </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> didn't notice.  Kuroo raised an eyebrow at him, stepping forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes?"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma had to step back.  But </span>
  <span>then</span>
  <span> it happened again, Kenma </span>
  <span>stepping </span>
  <span>back and Kuroo stepping forward.  Then again.  And again.  Until Kenma's back hit a wall and Kuroo was smirking down at him, leaning in and coming face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>face with </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma was shaking.  Even though he liked it, being this close to Kuroo, he thought he was going to die.  Kuroo was so damn close and Kenma was a weird teenager going through changes - how was Kuroo so cool?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You-You piss me off!"  The declaration seemed to take Kuroo by surprise because he stepped back, looking at Kenma confused</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span> now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No, you fucking dumbass.  What're you saying?  Say the rest</span>
  </em>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> he thought to himself and tried opening his mouth to say more, but nothing came out.</span>
</p><p><span>His whole body was burning in embarrassment, his throat closed and his mind blank again.  He couldn't continue anymore.  He couldn't look at Kuroo and he certainly could </span><em><span>not</span></em> <span>stay there.</span></p><p>
  <span>But his feet didn't move.  And his eyes didn't close.  And Kuroo wasn't leaving.  </span>
  <span>He was j</span>
  <span>ust looking down at him like he was waiting for something else, and Kenma was annoying</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span> desperate to give him more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You..You piss me off, but-but</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>" he gulped, gripping the potion closely because it was the only thing he could hold along with his tiny bit of dignity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But I don't want you to piss off anyone else!  You can't, okay?  So take some responsibility already and be mine!"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Kuroo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING : This chapter includes mild CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT (mainly verbal).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuroo Tetsurou </p><p>5th Year</p><p>Half Blood (on his dad's side)</p><p>Gryffindor</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Kuroo found out his best friend could turn into an owl</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> there was no fucking way he was just gonna let him have all that fun by himself.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because becoming an animagus was difficult and required a lot of conditions and law or whatever, Kuroo ended up being an illegal unregistered Animagi.  What he did not know until he made this life change, was that he didn't pick the animal</span>
  <span>:</span>
  <span> the animal picked you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How the fuck was he supposed to know he was going to turn into a cat?</span>
  <span>!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You-You're a cat!"  Bokuto laughed at him</span>
  <span>. A</span>
  <span>t the time</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> the two </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>in their 3rd year and Kuroo </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> still learning how to transform.  When he finally did it </span>
  <span>and turned</span>
  <span> into a cymric cat, black and fluffy, the feeling of being able to control his tail freaking him out, he wanted to scream but his cat mouth wouldn't let him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're a pussy, dude!"  Bokuto exclaimed, holding his stomach as he laughed </span>
  <span>even </span>
  <span>harder</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Kuroo </span>
  <span>narrowed</span>
  <span> his cat eyes and pounced on him, scratching and biting him.  It took Bokuto by surprise, and the next day he had scratches on his neck and hands.  Bokuto didn't answer anyone when they asked what attacked him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo thought he would turn into a lion or something.  A tiger?  Maybe a stallion!  A whale would've been fine, but a fucking cat.  All he was good at doing was being someone's pet if he was a fucking cat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm just saying, you could probably fit in the vents.  That'd be good for pranks, right?"  Bokuto suggested after a whole week of Kuroo sulking about being a cat.  That mean</span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span> his dumb </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>atronus</span>
  <span> would probably be</span>
  <span> a cat too - not the scariest thing in the world, clearly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It doesn't matter.  Only you know</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> anyway.  If anyone finds out what I did</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>" Kuroo sighed.  He</span>
  <span>’d broken</span>
  <span> the law becoming an illegal </span>
  <span>A</span>
  <span>nimagus, and for what?  What did he do it for?  To be pet by random strangers as they walked by and saw a sad, black kitty?  Kuroo </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>never felt more stupid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> until he met Kenma.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't know him well, only </span>
  <span>recognizing</span>
  <span> him as the Ravenclaw Seeker.  He thought Kenma was straight</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>faced like most Ravenclaws, not caring too much about anything</span>
  <span> except for</span>
  <span> studying and didn’t socialize well.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>When Kenma picked him up for the first time, he</span>
  <span>’d </span>
  <span>tried to get away, scared the smartass Ravenclaw could sense he wasn't a real cat.  Kuroo couldn't get caught - that could lead to him getting expelled!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You look like Kuroo-san," Kenma said softly, and Kuroo panicked.  He could sense it!  How he did, Kuroo wasn't sure, but it was enough for him to try and claw away from the Ravenclaw.  As long as he didn't change back, Kenma had no proof, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only reason he was on the Ravenclaw side of the school was to practice transforming</span>
  <span> -</span>
  <span> he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> always assumed the Ravenclaws were just in their room</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> all the time, too busy studying to go outside.   Turned out he was wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's a Gryffindor...and he's good at making friends,"  Kenma sniffed.  He wasn't crying, but now that Kuroo looked at him carefully he could see that Kenma must've been upset about something because his usual straight face was slightly down.  Even if it was just slightly, up close like this Kuroo could see it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He can talk to lots of people and he's good at Quidditch.  He's better at this 'socializing' thing than me, huh?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo stopped fighting completely, watching as Kenma sat down on the grass and nuzzled his nose on Kuroo’s forehead, a funny fuzzy feeling running through him.  Then Kenma laughed - actually laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Cats are much easier to talk to than people.  Should I call you Tetsurou?"  Kuroo purred softly, closing his eyes and rubbing his face on Kenma's neck, warming them both up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tetsurou it is</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ever since then, Kuroo hasn’t been leaving Kenma alone.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Your bastard father again.  I fucking told him to stay out of it!"  Kuroo's mother screamed, throwing another glass and smashing it into a thousand pieces.  </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>"Who the fuck does he think he is?  Running away and then trying to get you back!  You're mine, Tetsurou, you hear?  You're not leaving this goddamn house!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>An 11 year</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>s</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> old Kuroo watched as his mom locked the doors, then left the room only to come back with a hammer and nails.  She began to nail the door shut </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>and ground </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>her teeth loud enough </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>for </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>to</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> hear.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Thinks he can make you like him.  My fucking ass," she huffed, turning to Kuroo, tears in her eyes</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>. H</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>er whole face </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>red.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You already put me in a lot of debt, you know?  What more when I have you in another world of shit!  You're staying here.  And if </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>father thinks he can turn you into something like him, he's wrong!  Fucking wrong, alright?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She continued hammering away, cursing after every hit.  "Left me with a child.  Now he wants you back.  I swear to god, if I ever see him again-"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Wow," Bokuto mused as he stared at the letter Kuroo received that morning as the owl post came in.  Usually they were letters from his dad, asking if he was okay and checking up on him.  But every month, exactly once a month, he would get one from his mom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's a lot of numbers."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Each and every time, it was a bill.  A bill claiming that Kuroo owed her for being her child.  If he didn't pay, she threatened</span>
  <span> to </span>
  <span>take legal action, which wasn't much of a threat since his dad had custody over him now.  It wouldn't be his debt until he was of legal age.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know.  I don't even live with her anymore.  Who does she think she is, giving me this</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>" Kuroo ripped the paper up, but he knew why the numbers increased every month.  First, there was interest from the last month.  But secondly, and more importantly, Kuroo's mom loved to gamble.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>She claimed it was to make sure Kuroo had food on the table, but when Kuroo left at 11 years old and she didn't have an excuse, things must have been harder for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think you should just blast her ass at this point</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Bokuto shrugged </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>Kuroo </span>
  <span>gave</span>
  <span> him a look at the suggestion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know I can't do that.""Eh, so what?  At this point, I don't see a difference.  She keeps harassing you, right?  Just </span>
  <em>
    <span>abracadabra</span>
  </em>
  <span> her ass!  What's the Ministry gonna do?  Expel you?  Then you don't have school!  I don't see the problem."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magic done by an underage student in front of muggles was illegal, severely illegal, and Kuroo could get more than an expulsion if he used his magic to harass someone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I like going to school," Kuroo told him, looking at the time </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> then excitedly getting up.  "And I'm about to go like school some more.  I'll see you in class."  Kuroo started walking, not even letting Bokuto say </span>
  <span>good</span>
  <span>bye before he was running. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, right," Bokuto said softly, now alone at the dining table and eating his cake by himself.  "It's Wednesday..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every </span>
  <span>Wednesday, Kenma studied in the library from 4 to 5 PM, then went to visit Tetsurou from 5:30 to whenever he felt like.  Kuroo learned </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> after weeks of following Kenma's schedule.</span>
</p><p><span>Kuroo was in his 4th year, meaning it'</span><span>d</span><span> been a year since Kenma </span><span>had </span><span>found him and a year since Kuroo </span><span>had</span> <span>actually</span><span> started talking to him.  Kenma</span> <span>towards Kuroo was very different </span><span>from</span><span> Kenma towards Tetsurou.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Kenma!"  Kuroo called out, speed walking </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span> to him till they were finally side by side.  "Done studying today?"  Kenma nodded slightly, looking straight forward </span>
  <span>as he</span>
  <span> walked.  Kuroo wanted to laugh at the irony.  Kenma was walking away from Kuroo so he could go visit Kuroo!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bet you got a high grade like usual, hm?  I can't believe you study so diligently just for a high grade.  You don't even know what you want to be, right?"  Kuroo kept talking, asking Kenma questions over and over and over again only for Kenma to give him short, curt answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I want to be," Kenma said softly, </span>
  <span>looking</span>
  <span> up at Kuroo </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>stopping in the hallway</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>  "</span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> good person."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo didn’t understand back then, but the more he learned about Kenma, </span>
  <span>the more he knew </span>
  <span>what he meant.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I don't know why you came back," Kuroo's mom snarled at him when she saw her son </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>in</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> the doorway of their old, small apartment.  "I know that bastard won."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo was 12</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>. He’d </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>just completed his 1st year at Hogwarts and was getting ready for his 2nd.  He knew his mom was still in the old dump, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>un</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>able to move to a better place since his dad won the case.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You..You owe dad money," Kuroo said in a small voice, clutching his Power Ranger action figure he brought for protection.  It was red, like his house colour.  Since he wasn't allowed to use magic, this was the second best thing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I know </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>D</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>ad has been trying to ask you nicely, but-""You're joking, right?  You're fucking joking</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>,</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>" </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>h</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>is mom snapped</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>,</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> standing up and stomping</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> over </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>to Kuroo, leaning down to face him.  Kuroo was terrified, but he didn't move.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I owe your dad nothing.  I mean nothing at all, alright?  So you can go ahead and drown in debt </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> like you made me drown by being alive."  Kuroo told himself he wasn't about to cry.  Not when he was doing something for his dad.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"But you owe us-"</span>
  </em>
</p><p><em><span>"I</span></em> <em><span>owe you shit!"  </span></em><em><span>h</span></em><em><span>is mom screamed, making Kuroo flinch.  "Your dad left me with you when it was convenient and now look at him.  Asking for money!  You should've stayed with me when you had the chance, Tetsurou.  You should've chosen me."</span></em></p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo hated his mom.  Hated her, hated her, hated her.  And if he didn't love the things that Hogwarts offered - all the food he could eat, a nice comfy bed and people who loved him other than his dad - he would've blasted her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I chose </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>D</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>ad</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>,</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> though.  And it was the best choice I've made in my life!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo came home that day with a black eye.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Good job, Kenma!"  Kuroo cheered as he watched the Seeker doing well during the practice.  He used to only watch the Ravenclaws practice because Bokuto went to watch Akaashi, but then not too </span>
  <span>long afterwards he found </span>
  <span>a new reason to go even when Bokuto didn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was one of the times Bokuto wasn't there with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You don't have to come to my Quidditch practices," Kenma told him, flying down to where Kuroo was watching him excitedly.  Even though Kenma seemed to not be </span>
  <span>as </span>
  <span>passionate about Quidditch </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> Hinata or Bokuto, he still </span>
  <span>made</span>
  <span> his best effort, getting </span>
  <span>especially</span>
  <span> motivated when he saw Hinata doing his best.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I like watching you</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>though</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kuroo grinned, handing Kenma a bottle of water, which he took and chugged half of on the spot.  "Because I like you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma choked, spitting </span>
  <span>the water </span>
  <span>out and coughing.  Kuroo couldn't help but laugh, patting Kenma on the back and making sure he was okay, but Kenma </span>
  <span>but Kenma had a look of disgust, shoving Kuroo away.</span>
  <span>ay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't say things like that so suddenly.  It's annoying."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo could see the blush creeping </span>
  <span>into</span>
  <span> Kenma's neck.  Even though they were already 2 years in</span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>their friendship (if you could even call it that), Kenma wasn't used to the way Kuroo flirted with him all the time, </span>
  <span>or</span>
  <span> so it seemed.  It was okay though since Kuroo knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But you don't hate it, right?"  The Gryffindor chuckled, watching as Kenma mounted his broom again and flew off without looking at him.  He thought he saw Kenma give him the finger, but he chose to ignore it, just watching as he flew around, practising laps around the field.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Occasionally their eyes met.  And every time Kenma made eye contact with him, Kuroo would wave.  Then Kenma would look away, leaving Kuroo beaming in delight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quidditch practices weren't as good as Quidditch games</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, when Kuroo literally just had to fly around and </span>
  <span>score </span>
  <span>points.  It wasn't like </span>
  <span>being</span>
  <span> a Beater, where you had to target </span>
  <span>someone</span>
  <span> or make sure a </span>
  <span>Bludger </span>
  <span>didn't hit you, and it wasn't like </span>
  <span>being</span>
  <span> the Keeper where you had to stay in one place the whole time </span>
  <span>until you saw the Snitch</span>
  <span>.  Being the Chaser, he could move around - and there were 2 other Chasers, so Kuroo had so much free time!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kenma!  If I tell you where the </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>nitch is, will you give me a kiss?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e asked cheekily, knowing Kenma was pretending not to hear him, but he could see the slight shift to the side </span>
  <span>as he moved</span>
  <span> closer to Kuroo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kuroo-san!  I'll give you a kiss if you tell me where the </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>nitch is!"  Hinata shouted, flying </span>
  <span>between them and </span>
  <span>causing Kuroo to lean back</span>
  <span> to keep</span>
  <span> a good distance.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"You want a kiss?  I can give you one.  I haven't found the </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>nitch yet and Kageyama is gonna kill-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Hinata!"  Kageyama yelled from behind them, diving in and aggressively shouldering Hinata so hard he almost fell off his broom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you have time to kiss, you have time to find the fucking </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>nitch!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"It's not my fault it's so small!  Maybe if you stopped pushing me around all the time-""Hey!  You two, shut it!"  Daichi yelled even though he was across the field, </span>
  <span>managing</span>
  <span> to scare all 4 of them into shutting up.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"If you all have time to fight, then you have time to play!  Now pay attention!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ravenclaw won that match when Kenma found the </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>nitch on his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Aw, too bad.  I really wanted a kiss," Kuroo sighed sadly </span>
  <span>as he walked</span>
  <span> Kenma back to the Ravenclaw tower, Kenma saying he didn't want to go to the victory party because it was too loud.  Kuroo knew the real reason why</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Goodnight, Kenma.  Don't stay up too late, alright?"  He patted Kenma on the head and left with a small wave, transforming into a cat once he turned the corner.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Wait, you're smart?"  Kenma asked, the most shocked Kuroo'</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>d</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> ever seen him before (eyebrows slightly furrowed, mouth </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>slightly open</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>).  Kuroo just laughed, shrugging at Kenma's reaction.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"What do you mean?  I study.  I'm not as smart as you."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Yeah, but, uh, what I'm saying is-" Kenma motioned to Kuroo's exam score.  A bright red 98% </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>adorned </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>the very top of it, clearly shocking Kenma.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I mean, you don't act..."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"What?  I'm too fun?"  Kuroo laughed again.  He</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>’d</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> agreed</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> to </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>let Kenma borrow the test in exchange for Kenma's time, so now Kenma knew the material for next year.  Kuroo knew Kenma took </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> grades seriously and therefore would actually need a test with a good score.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Just because I relax doesn't mean I don't study.  Kenma, you like smart </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>people</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>, right?"  Kuroo smirked, watching as Kenma was thrown off and flustered, covering his face and sighing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I just..." Kenma trailed off </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> shook his head.  "Is this why all your books are battered and broken?  Because you're using them all the time?  I thought you just didn't take care of your stuff."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo knew it was supposed to be a joke - or at least he thought it was - but his face actually fell this time </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>as he shrugged</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Nah.  That's because I can't afford new books."  Kenma's eyes widened </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>as he sputtered</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> some words that sounded like an apology</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>but Kuroo stopped him quickly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"It's fine. </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> If y</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>ou're poor, you're poor.  </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>There’s n</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>othing you can do, right?"  Kuroo laughed, but Kenma didn't buy it,</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> instead </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>narrowing his eyes at him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"But you give me gifts all the time," Kenma mumbled softly.  "On my birthday, on Valentine's </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>D</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>ay - even Christmas.  Why?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo raised an eyebrow at him.  He didn't know if he wanted to smoosh Kenma's face into a ball or kiss him silly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"'Why?</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>’ </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> I thought I told you, Kenma.  I like you."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Get out of my bed, you dumb idiot."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Ow, Kageyama!  That hurt!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Then don't sleep with me!  There are 5 beds for a reason.  You don't have to share with me-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo groaned as he heard the two fighting again. </span>
  <span>He didn’t open his eyes, but he was </span>
  <span>now</span>
  <span> aware of his surroundings.  "Daichi..." Kuroo called out in a low, soft voice, trying to see if his roommate </span>
  <span>had been woken up</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hinata, don't-that's mine!  Put it back!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I'm just looking at it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo sighed, shuffling </span>
  <span>in </span>
  <span>bed and rolling over to the side closer to Daichi.  "Daichi..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ow, Kage-boke!  That was my eye!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"It's gonna be the other one real soon if you don't get out of my bed!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo threw a pillow at Daichi, easily </span>
  <span>startling him</span>
  <span> and waking him up.  "Huh?  What-" Daichi squinted, looking over at Kuroo.  "Was that you?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yeah</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kuroo pointed at the door, groaning as he heard the floor creaking in the other room.  "Fighting...stop it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He heard Daichi sigh</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>then get up, going to the </span>
  <span>other</span>
  <span> bedroom</span>
  <span>. A</span>
  <span> few hits, then a slam.  "If I hear you two fighting one more time tonight, I swear you'll regret it in the morning.  You hear me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Kuroo was already awake.  It was hard for him to go back to sleep </span>
  <span>now</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>He looked</span>
  <span> at the time and </span>
  <span>saw</span>
  <span> there was enough to take a nice walk around the common room and </span>
  <span>still </span>
  <span>get a few hours of sleep </span>
  <span>to not </span>
  <span>be totally dead the next day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ended up turning into a cat so he could sneak outside and walk around</span>
  <span>. A </span>
  <span>night of fresh air </span>
  <span>wasn’t </span>
  <span>a bad thing.  As he made </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> lap around the school, he stopped when he saw Kenma at the back of the Ravenclaw tower, a blanket around him as he looked up </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> the sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was the first time Kuroo</span>
  <span> had seen</span>
  <span> him at night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, Tetsurou!  You're here," Kenma called out, noticing the cat's arrival</span>
  <span>. He pulled</span>
  <span> him </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span>to his lap, cuddling him under the blanket.  Kuroo purred as he felt comfortable in his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I have trouble sleeping, you know?"  Kenma said softly, scratching the back of Kuroo's ears and kissing the top of his head.  "Sometimes I feel like I'm homesick.  Other times I have an exam.  This time</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>" Kenma sighed, throwing his head back and letting out a loud groan.  "I think I'm in love."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo perked up, standing on all four legs and meowing as he turned to look at Kenma.  He stood on his back paws so that his front ones could lean against Kenma's chest.  Kenma looked down at him, rubbing Kuroo's face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The one I named you after," he said with another sigh.  "Stupid Kuroo.  Keeps liking me for no reason.  Obviously I'll like him back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That night, Kenma tried sneaking Kuroo inside the castle, thinking he could keep </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> as a pet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Cats are allowed," Kenma whined softly, trying to drag his pet Tetsurou inside, but Kuroo kept clawing at the dirt, refusing to go in.  How was he supposed to turn back if he was in the Ravenclaw dormitory?  And it wasn't like he had clothes on him - he was going to change back completely naked!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on, Tetsurou.  It's so much nicer inside.  I'll introduce you to Akaashi, okay?  He'll help take care of you."  Kuroo meowed loudly trying to reject the offer, but Kenma ended up carrying him all the way up to the dorms, going into his room and wiping his paws off.  Kuroo tried to turn into dead weight so he would be heavier, but Kenma managed, placing him on his bed.</span>
</p><p><span>"You'll see.  It's warmer here</span><span>.</span><span>" Kenma gave </span><span>Kuroo such</span><span> a soft smile, one that made</span><span> him</span><span> melt,</span><span> but</span><span> then</span> <span>was warmed by Kenma's arms wrapping around him</span><span>. H</span><span>e was cuddled under the blankets and tucked under Kenma's chin.</span></p><p>
  <span>He had to wait until Kenma's breathing was even and he was sure he could wiggle away before he tried escaping.  Finally Kuroo could breath</span>
  <span>e. H</span>
  <span>e </span>
  <span>ran</span>
  <span> out of Kenma's very comfortable arms - which he wanted to stay in forever - then back to the Gryffindor common room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later that day, Kenma looked a little down when he saw him in the hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I'm thinking about cutting my hair," Kenma said, staring at himself in the mirror and inspecting his growing roots.  "Short.  Maybe like Hinata's."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo made a face at him, firstly not liking how he wanted Hinata's style, and secondly not liking </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> Kenma wanted to change up</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> his look </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>all of a sudden.  Usually Kenma didn't </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>care much</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> about what he looked like.  Was he just growing up?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"People keep saying I look like a girl," he said with a soft voice</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>. He </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>looked up at Kuroo.  "But I'm not a girl."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This took Kuroo by surprise, not expecting Kenma to care about something like this, but it seemed </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>like </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>he did.  There were probably other things on his mind that Kuroo, or even Tetsurou, didn't know either.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I like it like this</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>,</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> though," Kuroo said with a shrug, brushing his fingers through Kenma's hair softly, enjoying the intimate feeling of being so close to him.  "And if you like it too, then who cares?  It doesn't really matter.  If it's what you want, it's what you want."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kenma stared in</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>to </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>the mirror again, holding the </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>tips</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> of his hair and </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>finding</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> the exact length by lining it up to his jaw.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Even if I look like a girl?"  Kuroo laughed and nodded, petting Kenma's head </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>affectionately</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Boy, girl - I like you, Kenma.  It doesn't matter what you look like."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo was pleased when Kenma chose not to cut his hair, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>instead growing</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> it out even more.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The confession was a shock, especially the way it was delivered.  But if he </span>
  <span>was being</span>
  <span> honest, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  It was very...Kenma.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hm, only piss you off?  That's kinda hard since I tend to piss a lot of people off," Kuroo said</span>
  <span> amusedly</span>
  <span>, grinning down at Kenma when his face got all worried.  If this </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> what it would be like dating him, then Kuroo didn't mind one bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But for you, I'd gladly take responsibility."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo was prepared to be kicked, punched or even bitten.  What he did not expect was to be hugged.  Small, skinny arms were thrown around his neck and </span>
  <span>held </span>
  <span>him close; it was a surprise, but Kuroo was easily hugging him back, finding his arms around Kenma's waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What were you gonna do with that?"  Kuroo asked with </span>
  <span>a raised eyebrow, nodding</span>
  <span> at the Amortentia</span>
  <span>. T</span>
  <span>he two </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>holding hands as they walked across the field together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, this?  I don't know, it just fell.  But it's Akaashi's," Kenma explained, turning to see if he could find </span>
  <span>where</span>
  <span> it could've fallen from, but he didn't have a clue.  "Don't worry, I wasn't going to use it on you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo just grinned, shaking his head knowingly.  "You wouldn't have needed it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before they could step inside the castle, a figure came flying and landed right in front of them, stopping them from entering.  Tendou, one of Slytherin's Chaser's, was blocking their path, but his eyes were glued to the Amortentia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That-" Tendou pointed.  "That's-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It belongs to Akaashi."  Kuroo cut him off, sizing Tendou </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span> since he looked a little too excited to see it.  "We're gonna give it back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou looked at Kuroo </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> laughed, holding his stomach before changing his </span>
  <span>expression</span>
  <span> to one that was more annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh?  But Akaashi-</span>
  <em>
    <span>san</span>
  </em>
  <span> lost it," Tendou pointed out, walking closer to them, </span>
  <span>particularly</span>
  <span> Kenma.  "Such a deadly potion in the hands of someone so careless?  Is that safe?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma clenched his hand around the potion, hiding it in his robe.  "It belongs to Akaashi, so we're gonna give it back!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou raised an eyebrow, taking his wand out</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Kuroo responded by taking out his </span>
  <span>own</span>
  <span>.  "Don't touch him, you son of a bitch."   Tendou growled </span>
  <span>and pointed </span>
  <span>his wand at Kuroo, but then suddenly a hand was on Tendou's wrist lowering</span>
  <span> his</span>
  <span> arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What're you-" Ushijima was trying to get Tendou to back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When you said I </span>
  <span>c</span>
  <span>ould watch you practice, you didn't mention it would involve fighting."  Tendou's face went pink and he lowered his arm completely, glaring at Kenma before turning around and </span>
  <span>re</span>
  <span>entering the school.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Ushijima sighed and bowed to the </span>
  <span>two</span>
  <span> of them.  "I apologize.  He's been...moody lately."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever that meant, Kenma and Kuroo didn't know or care, because at least Tendou was gone and the potion was safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until Kenma felt a movement in his robes.  Kuroo could see it, the potion wiggling around </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> pressing against the fabric until it finally </span>
  <span>shot out of</span>
  <span> his sleeve</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Kenma </span>
  <span>gasped</span>
  <span> in shock </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> he tried to retrieve it, but</span>
  <span> it</span>
  <span> was too late</span>
  <span>. I</span>
  <span>t floated upward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he watched it </span>
  <span>fly</span>
  <span>, he looked </span>
  <span>up </span>
  <span>to see what was </span>
  <span>happening</span>
  <span> - Oikawa was </span>
  <span>hovering</span>
  <span> above them, wand out and catching the Amortentia, a smirk on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No way...they let </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> have this?"  Oikawa laughed, looking down at Kenma.  "You're joking, right?"  Kuroo gulped, taking his wand out and pointing it </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> Oikawa so he could get it back, but </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> was already flying in circles around them, </span>
  <span>making it difficult to aim</span>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey!  Give it back, you little shit!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"If you can't take care of it, you shouldn't have it!"  Oikawa stuck his tongue out </span>
  <span>as he flew</span>
  <span> away, Kuroo only able to get one good </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Expelliarmus</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> out</span>
  <span>. It</span>
  <span> missed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shit..." Kenma said </span>
  <span>quietly</span>
  <span>, Kuroo looking down at him in </span>
  <span>concern</span>
  <span>.  "The dumbest one has it now..."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Iwaizumi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Iwaizumi Hajime</p><p>5th Year</p><p>Pure Blood </p><p>Slytherin - supposedly.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was supposed to be a Ravenclaw.  He remembered the </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>orting very clearly - in fact, </span>
  <span>only he and two other</span>
  <span> people remembered it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His name was called before Oikawa's</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e </span>
  <span>let</span>
  <span> go of his hand before he walked up to the front to put the hat on.  He didn't panic, watching as Oikawa anxiously waited for his house to be yelled out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ravenclaw!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a cheer from the Ravenclaw table and Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>made his way </span>
  <span>over, but first walking to Oikawa and to squeeze his hand.  "Don't worry.  It'll be fine</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  Iwaizumi said reassuringly, but he didn’t realize Oikawa's definition of </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>fine</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> wasn't the same as his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When it was Oikawa's turn with the hat, it didn't take too long for him to be sorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Slytherin!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a cheer from the Slytherin table, but Oikawa and Iwaizumi were both looking at each other, stunned.  Oikawa </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> more upset than Iwaizumi anticipated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa stood up, glaring at the hat</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then turning to Iwaizumi.  Iwaizumi stood up as well, gulping when he saw Oikawa's face </span>
  <span>turn</span>
  <span> red and the lights </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> the dining hall </span>
  <span>go</span>
  <span> out.  Many of the students and staff were shocked, gasping and looking around to see what was doing it, but it</span>
  <span> became</span>
  <span> clear as Oikawa clenched his fists, biting his lip as his eyes watered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!"  Oikawa screamed, this time </span>
  <span>shattering </span>
  <span>the glasses on the professors</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span> table.  Iwaizumi gulped again, heading to Oikawa </span>
  <span>in the hope of calming</span>
  <span> him down.  Oikawa was quicker</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, gritting his teeth and causing the whole Ravenclaw table to break.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi didn't even have time to hold Oikawa's hand before the headmaster stopped everything and contained Oikawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Next thing they knew, they were in </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>eadmaster Akaashi's office on their first night </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If Iwa-chan is in Ravenclaw, then I am too!"  Oikawa said stubbornly, probably </span>
  <span>for</span>
  <span> the fifth time that night.  Iwaizumi stayed silent, looking down at his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I told you boys, it doesn't work like that," the headmaster sighed, looking between the</span>
  <span> two</span>
  <span> of them even though it was mainly Oikawa who</span>
  <span> was doing the</span>
  <span> talking.  The headmaster decided that both of them were equally involved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What, Ravenclaws are smarter</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> is that it?  I'm smart!  I can be smart, trust me!"  Oikawa's voice was desperate now</span>
  <span>, refusing to back</span>
  <span> down with his argument, saying he could easily be a Ravenclaw as long as Iwaizumi was in the same house as him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The headmaster let out a loud sigh again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>orting </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>at has a purpose.  The </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>at has been serving this purpose since Hogwart itself, and I won't have a few unsatisfied first years break this tradition.  I apologize, but I trust this</span>
  <span> H</span>
  <span>at has done </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> job.  Now it's time for you to do yours."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi could see Oikawa turning red beside him.  His fists were clenched and he looked like he was about to burst into flames.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But Iwaizumi held him back, putting</span>
  <span> his </span>
  <span>hand on Oikawa's and sitting up, looking at the headmaster now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll switch to Slytherin," Iwaizumi blurted </span>
  <span>out</span>
  <span>, not exactly knowing where he was going with this but decid</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> to roll with it now that it was out in the open.  "I'll become a Slytherin."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The headmaster sighed for the nth time that night, shaking his head.  Clearly these two didn't see tradition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I told you.  Changing houses is impossible.  The hat decided-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I heard," Iwaizumi cut him off, taking a big gulp because he knew that they were definitely not going to be the headmaster’s favourites.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I heard that...the, uh, the hat, it-it takes into account," Iwaizumi took a deep breath, trying to sound more confident or else this plan of his wouldn't have a chance </span>
  <span>of</span>
  <span> working.  "It takes into account what house you want to be in.  And I want to be in Slytherin."  Iwaizumi could see Oikawa brighten beside him.</span>
</p><p><span>"Not only because of the people there, but because of what they stand for.  Slytherins are strong-willed and ambitious.  They can achieve their goals even if it seems impossible.  They're leaders and persevere even when things are difficult."  The headmaster seemed to be listening now, so Iwaizumi pressed on.</span><span><br/></span><span>"Being a Slytherin, I would be able to work with some of the most hardworking, dedicated people </span><span>who </span><span>could teach me how to be a great wizard.  Even if this is impossible, I came to Hogwarts wanting to become</span> <span>the best I </span><span>could</span><span> be.  And I feel that can happen if I'm in Slytherin."</span></p><p><span>Iwaizumi ended his</span> <span>speech, waiting for some sort of reaction</span><span>,</span><span> but all he was met with was a cold stare.  He thought he</span><span>’d</span><span> lost.</span></p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <span>All right.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>he headmaster nodded, standing up and taking his wand out.  Iwaizumi flinched, prepared for a punishment</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but then </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>took out a parchment with Iwaizumi's timetable.  It seemed like he was changing </span>
  <span>one of </span>
  <span>the words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Slytherins are good people, but be prepared.  Hogwarts is full of friends and magic</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> yet it's still a school</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e </span>
  <span>handed</span>
  <span> Iwaizumi the </span>
  <span>timetable</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi’s </span>
  <span>eyes widening when he saw the top.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Iwaizumi Hajime - Slytherin</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hope you two stay out of trouble.  This breaks a major tradition, and I'm confident that this is the first time a headmaster is doing this</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>eadmaster Akaashi sighed yet again, but then gave Iwaizumi a small, reassuring smile.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"It seems that you have Slytherin passion in you, Iwaizumi-san.  Don't waste it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was </span>
  <span>confident</span>
  <span> that was the first time in Hogwarts history a headmaster changed the rules just because two kids </span>
  <span>annoyed</span>
  <span> the shit out of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan, we're in the same house!  I'm so excited!"  </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> happier Oikawa smiled widely, holding Iwaizumi's hand as they walked to the Slytherin common room.  "I can't wait for this year!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi looked over, watching as Oikawa skipped happily by his side.  He even managed to smile a little when he saw Oikawa's </span>
  <span>expression</span>
  <span>, his heart settling a little now that he'd calm</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> down.  For Iwaizumi, as long as Oikawa was smiling, he could smile too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The year </span>
  <span>afterwards</span>
  <span>, when Akaashi Keiji was sorted into Ravenclaw, Iwaizumi felt that the headmaster just didn't want his son associated with anything to do with Oikawa or him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>They were in the headmaster</span><span>’</span><span>s office again in their 3rd year. </span><span><br/></span><span>Everyone had </span><span>been</span> <em><span>o</span></em><em><span>bliviated</span></em> <span>to forget </span><span>Oikawa's tantrum the night of the sorting</span><span>:</span><span> the professors </span><em><span>obliviating</span></em><span> their classes first, then </span><span>H</span><span>eadmaster Akaashi </span><em><span>obliviating</span></em><span> the professors.  </span></p><p>
  <span>They were supposed to stay out of trouble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Amortentia is deadly.  We've</span>
  <span> stressed</span>
  <span> this many, many, many times.  It might seem harmless, but in the hands of the wrong person it could kill hundreds."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apparently if Oikawa had </span>
  <span>done</span>
  <span> something wrong, then so </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi.  They were sitting in the same seats </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> 1st year, just this time bigger, taller and smarter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa was still arguing</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p><span>"If they teach it </span><span>in class</span><span>, I don't see the problem.  I was just trying to make it</span><span>.</span><span>" Oikawa shrugged, as if</span> <span>the headmaster</span><span> hadn’t done</span><span> a big favour for them just a few years ago.  Iwaizumi didn't know how to save him this time.</span></p><p><span>He didn't even know why Oikawa</span> <span>made the Amortentia, especially since they were still in their 3rd year and didn't learn this damn potion until 4th.  Why the fuck did Oikawa make it?</span></p><p>
  <span>"We teach it while explaining the deadliness of it.  You're lucky </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor Takeda caught you before it could get out of the classroom and into the wrong hands."  Iwaizumi could see the headmaster containing a sigh.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Listen</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> you two</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e leaned forward, looking between Iwaizumi and Oikawa even though he was mainly talking to Oikawa.  "</span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>his is unfair when I've already bent the rules a lot.  So this is a very big insult to my work.  Understand?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi bowed very low, and Oikawa about halfway until Iwaizumi pulled him down to 90 degrees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We apologize, </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>eadmaster.  It won't happen again, I promise."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were lucky to get out of </span>
  <span>there </span>
  <span>with</span>
  <span> just</span>
  <span> a warning and an essay </span>
  <span>about </span>
  <span>why Amortentia was a terrible potion in the wrong hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What the fuck, dumbass?"  Iwaizumi hissed, yanking Oikawa by the wrist to the side of the hallway.  "Why did you make it?  What was the purpose?  You almost got us expelled!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa bit the inside of his cheek</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then shrugged.  "I was curious </span>
  <span>about </span>
  <span>what I would smell.  And you too, I wanted to ask what you smelled.  Obviously I didn't get that far."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi facepalmed and groaned, shaking his head in irritation.  "I don't get it..." he sighed, looking back at Oikawa.  "If that’s the only reason, then you really are shitty, you know that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa rolled his eyes </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> held 3 fingers up.  "23."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.  "23?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"23 confessions this year so far and none of them</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>" Oikawa crossed his arms back at Iwaizumi.  "</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>from Iwa-chan."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi dropped his arms, staring at Oikawa blankly.  He knew Oikawa was getting confessed to a lot nowadays </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been at every confession </span>
  <span>by </span>
  <span>chance</span>
  <span>.  Even boys have been confessing to Oikawa!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why would I?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa's face turned red, clenching his fists.  He looked like he was about to hit Iwaizumi, but instead</span>
  <span> he</span>
  <span> turned around and started stomping off down the hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're mean, Iwa-chan!  The meanest person in history!  Mean, mean, mean!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later that night, Oikawa was bothering Iwaizumi again, hugging him until Iwaizumi's heart fluttered.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Probably 8/10 confessions Oikawa would get first went through Iwaizumi</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please, Iwaizumi-san!  It's difficult to approach Oikawa-san!"  One of the many </span>
  <span>suitors</span>
  <span> would give Iwaizumi a letter, sometimes smelling like roses, other times with a heart </span>
  <span>sticker</span>
  <span> - either way, it would get thrown in the trash.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Alright</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Iwaizumi would nod,</span>
  <span> take</span>
  <span> the letter and later </span>
  <span>hand</span>
  <span> it to Oikawa.  Oikawa would just stare at it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then look up at Iwaizumi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Were they cute?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Maybe a 7/10."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Throw it out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the library, the two were studying </span>
  <span>like usual </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> it happened again.  Except this time the girl didn't say anything, just handing the letter </span>
  <span>silently</span>
  <span> to Iwaizumi.  Without thinking twice, Iwaizumi handed it to Oikawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!"  </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>he girl exclaimed, and this time Iwaizumi got a good look at her.  She was a Slytherin, but a 4th year, which would explain why Iwaizumi didn't recognize her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The letter...</span>
  <span>I</span>
  <span>t's for you, Iwaizumi-san."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both Oikawa and Iwaizumi stared at her in surprise, eyes </span>
  <span>wide</span>
  <span> and frozen in place.  Iwaizumi never got confessed to - which he later learned was Oikawa</span>
  <span>’s fault</span>
  <span> - and now someone was courageous enough to come up to him unprompted.  It was a little startling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, uh, thank you, but-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll take that."  Oikawa snatched the letter out of Iwaizumi's hand, taking his wand out and holding the tip to the letter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Incendio</span>
  </em>
  <span>."  </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>he letter started to burn.  The poor girl gasped, reaching for it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but Oikawa was already burning it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah-ah, Iwa-chan doesn't need this," Oikawa grinned, Iwaizumi too shocked to react, but then the letter </span>
  <span>went up </span>
  <span>in flames seconds later.  The girl started to cry, then ran away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What..." Iwaizumi didn't look to see if she was okay, instead narrowing his eyes </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> Oikawa and hitting his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ow-""What the hell?"  Iwaizumi seethed in a low voice, now completely glaring at Oikawa.  "What was that for?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa shrugged innocently, going back to studying even though </span>
  <span>there was clearly something else to be discussed right now.</span>
  <span>  "You weren't gonna accept it anyway."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi looked down at him, feeling his jaw clench and gripping the edge of the table.  He might regret this later, but he blurted it out anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You don't know that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa snapped his head up, looking right at Iwaizumi.  It was his turn to glare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh?  I see</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Oikawa pushed his chair out as he stood, taking his books and slamming them shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I fucking see then.  Go to her if you like her so much!  I bet you don't even know her name!"  Which was true, Iwaizumi had no idea who she was.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The librarian </span>
  <span>came </span>
  <span>up </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> the two of them </span>
  <span>to tell </span>
  <span>them they needed to be quiet</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but Oikawa was already out the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was mean to Oikawa a lot, and most of the time he forgave Iwaizumi without hesitation.  But that night, Oikawa didn't bother Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>or forgive</span>
  <span> him.  That night, Iwaizum's heart ached.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>3rd year was when Divination class started.  By far the stupidest class Iwaizumi ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> ever taken.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hope I see Iwa-chan and I getting married!"  Oikawa exclaimed a little too loudly, but Iwaizumi didn't hit him this time.  He was too distracted by the creepy</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>looking crystal ball in front of them that was fogging up all of a sudden.</span>
</p><p><span>"Not everyone is born with the gift!  So beware!  For the gift is a difficult thing to possess - both a blessing </span><em><span>and</span></em><span> a curse.  Very troublesome to always know</span> <span>the future, you know?  But I enjoy my gift very much."</span><span><br/></span><span>Iwaizumi didn't like how their professor said </span><span>“</span><span>gift.</span><span>”</span></p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san, what do you see, hm?"  The professor came up to him, looking into the crystal ball </span>
  <span>anxiously</span>
  <span>.  Iwaizumi inwardly groaned and shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I dunno...I guess...fog?"  The professor gasped, acting like she</span>
  <span>’d been </span>
  <span>wounded.  "Fog?  Impossible!  Don't tell me, another without the gift!"  Iwaizumi didn't know if he wanted to laugh or sob.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> I know!  You have to touch it!  Touch the crystal, Iwaizumi-san.  Do it!  You'll feel it once you feel the crystal - the smooth ball </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> the palm of your hand!  You'll see the future!  Go ahead, Iwaizumi-san.  I feel great power oozing out from you!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone in the class giggled, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>went </span>
  <span>pink </span>
  <span>from </span>
  <span>embarrassment.  The teacher was staring at him a little too anxiously, making Iwaizumi shiver, but he did it anyway, touching the crystal ball and </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>feeling it.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good, good," the teacher hummed.  Iwaizumi could see Oikawa giggling at him as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Now close your eyes.  And feel the future!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Iwaizumi closed his eyes.  First, he just saw black and felt very stupid.  But then a flash of light appeared.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oikawa.  Oikawa and Iwaizumi.  Iwaizumi coming from behind and hugging Oikawa's waist.  They weren't in 3rd year anymore - they were older.  Iwaizumi couldn't figure out how old, but Oikawa was taller now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Iwa-chan!"  Oikawa smiled, laughing as Iwaizumi held him, and Iwaizumi smiled a little as well.  "Iwa-chan..."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was nice.  Iwaizumi kissed Oikawa on the cheek, then the forehead, then he was making his way to his lips...but Oikawa pushed him away.  Pushed him hard, hard enough to confuse Iwaizumi.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"No!  Stop!"  Oikawa screamed, covering his face.  "Stop, Iwa-chan!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But Iwaizumi just came closer, trying to hug Oikawa again.  This time, Oikawa pushed away before he could.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I said stop it!  I hate it!  I hate it, don't touch me!"  Iwaizumi tried again, putting his arms around Oikawa's waist, and for a brief moment Oikawa looked at him.  </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Then he pushed Iwaizumi right out of the picture, into the darkness.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Stop it, Iwaizumi!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi gasped, taking his hands off the crystal ball.  Everyone was staring at him, especially Oikawa</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who was focusing intensely on Iwaizumi's face.  Iwaizumi couldn't look at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What did you see?"  </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>he professor asked urgently, staring into Iwaizumi's soul</span>
  <span> -</span>
  <span> if </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> were possible.  "You saw something, didn't you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi gulped, looking at the professor, then looking at Oikawa.  He shook his head slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No," he replied softly.  "I couldn't see anything."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa asked him again later that night, but Iwaizumi gave the same response.  "I didn't see anything, alright?  Quit asking already."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi made an important decision that night.  The important decision that he would not, could not have Oikawa push him away like that.  Even if they were </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> friends, even if it was just Oikawa pestering Iwaizumi and Iwaizumi insulting him all the time - even if they couldn't be what Iwaizumi wanted them to be, he would be okay just staying by Oikawa's side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if they weren't together, Iwaizumi could smile alone, because at least </span>
  <span>he would </span>
  <span>know Oikawa was smiling too.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san.  Can I speak to you?"  Tsukishima asked softly, approaching Iwaizumi in the common room a little too hesitantly for </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> comfort.  "Privately."</span>
</p><p><span>Oikawa was still pissed off </span><span>at </span><span>Iwaizumi's confession even though it'</span><span>d</span><span> been days and he'</span><span>d</span> <span>already</span><span> explained that he turned her down properly.  It didn't matter though, because it wasn't like Iwaizumi and Oikawa were dating - Iwaizumi couldn't </span><span>act </span><span>hurt at being ignored.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Sure," Iwaizumi replied </span>
  <span>as he got</span>
  <span> up.  He eyed Oikawa, who was sitting on the other side of the room, exaggeratedly flipping a page of the book he was reading </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>making it very obvious that he </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>didn’t care</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> what Iwaizumi was doing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi just rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Tsukishima said, leading Iwaizumi up the stairs and to the 3rd year's room.  He closed the door </span>
  <span>after</span>
  <span> making sure no one was outside, then looked at Iwaizumi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa-san...I saw him take a potion from Kozume-san today during Quidditch practice," Tsukishima said, making Iwaizumi raise an eyebrow at him.  </span>
</p><p><span>"Did he?""Yes," Tsukishima sighed softly, massaging his forehead.  "But I recognized it.  It's Tendou-san's, and he</span><span>-</span><span> well, it's his."  Tsukishima seemed nervous, different from his usual composure, so it seemed</span> <span>like he was really desperate for Iwaizumi's help.</span></p><p>
  <span>"To be honest, I didn't see Oikawa take anything</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Iwaizumi shrugged, but </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>spoke honestly. The whole Quidditch practise, Oikawa had avoided him, leaving </span>
  <span>him </span>
  <span>with the best yet worst practice he ever had.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you know what the potion was?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima fidgeted, but </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>could tell he was trying to remain calm.  There was</span>
  <span> a moment of hesitation</span>
  <span> before he answered, but Iwaizumi waited patiently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Amortentia."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi's eyes widened, feeling his stomach</span>
  <span> sink</span>
  <span>.  He knew Oikawa’s history with it, and how Oikawa </span>
  <span>had been</span>
  <span> desperate enough to get expelled just to make it.  Now he had it?  </span>
  <span>It was unpredictable</span>
  <span> what Oikawa's next move </span>
  <span>would</span>
  <span> be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But Tendou-san is dating-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know," Tsukishima cut him off, taking a deep breath.  "I know, but</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e exhaled softly and shook his head.  "But someone asked me to pass it on to him, so I feel like I have to."  Tsukishima looked pale, like he knew more but wasn't letting</span>
  <span> him</span>
  <span> know.</span>
</p><p><span>"You're sure it's Amortentia?  And you're sure it's his?"  Iwaizumi asked.  First, he </span><span>had to make </span><span>sure it was actually Tendou's - it had to go back</span> <span>to </span><span>its</span> <span>original </span><span>owner and if it </span><span>really</span><span> was Tendou's, then it was safer </span><span>with him</span><span>.  </span><span>Second, </span><span>he </span><span>had to make</span><span> sure Tsukishima wasn't just mistaking the potion for something else, even though it would be difficult to mix it up with </span><span>another</span><span> potion.  It had a distinct shine, and of course there was the smell.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I'm positive," Tsukishima said with a firm nod.  "It belongs to Tendou-san.  So if we could get it back to him."  Iwaizumi nodded reassuringly, thinking of how to </span>
  <span>return it</span>
  <span> without Oikawa freaking out or throwing a tantrum.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll get it back to Tendou.  Thank you, Tsukishima, for telling me."  Iwaizumi patted </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> on the shoulder </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>went to leave the room, but Tsukishima stopped him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you, Iwaizumi-san</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tsukishima looked up at him, a new look of vulnerability</span>
  <span> on his face that</span>
  <span> Iwaizumi hadn't seen before.  This was also probably the first conversation he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> had with Tsukishima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry.  It's not like he's going to drink it."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Oikawa</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Oikawa Tooru</p><p>5th Year</p><p>Pure Blood</p><p>Slytherin (obviously)</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa-san, you have such a nice face."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>It's too bad that's all you can offer</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Tooru-chan, you're so pretty, you know?" </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>If only you could do more</span>
  </em>
  <span>." </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Oikawa-kun, you could be a model, huh?" </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Don't be so cocky</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>,</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> though.  You’re basically just selling your body</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa liked being pretty.  He liked being pretty and he liked </span>
  <span>being the center of </span>
  <span>attention.  He liked taking care of his appearance and he liked the way girls swooned whenever he </span>
  <span>walked</span>
  <span> past them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa liked being pretty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!  Look over here</span>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>" Oikawa waved as he</span>
  <span> flew</span>
  <span> on his broom for the first time.  Iwaizumi looked up at him </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> gave an unenthusiastic thumbs up, making Oikawa giggle in excitement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa liked being pretty and Iwa-chan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't easy liking someone you grew up with</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  Especially when you’ve taken showers together, held hands all the time and promised to be best friends forever when you were 5 - there was no more surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was, u</span>
  <span>ntil they started going to Hogwarts and Oikawa found out there was more to Iwaizumi than he thought.  He learned many things about Iwaizumi that he didn't know until they started having friends</span>
  <span> other than</span>
  <span> each other, which annoyed him, but it did open a new Iwaizumi he didn't know existed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't fair</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  The more he learned about Iwaizumi, the more he fell in love.  It wasn't fair, because no matter how many confessions Oikawa received, none of them were from Iwaizumi.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It wasn't fair</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> Iwaizumi liked him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>1) Iwaizumi is smart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Really smart.  Not just because he was supposed to be in Ravenclaw, but</span>
  <span> because he </span>
  <span>was actually a good student and studied frequently.  He always had high grades and even though they studied together, Oikawa couldn’t see how </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> was doing </span>
  <span>anything</span>
  <span> different.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was just smart.</span>
</p><p><span>"Do you ever get under 90%?"  Oikawa asked once when he saw a bright red 95% on Iwaizumi's test.  From Oikawa's memory of the</span> <span>previous study sessions, Iwaizumi fell asleep for half of them.</span></p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi shrugged, looking at his test.  "Well, I don't plan on failing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Oikawa tried to be smart</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  He told himself he would do something incredible to impress Iwaizumi, and since he wasn't that great at tests,</span>
  <span> the</span>
  <span> next best thing was a complicated spell or potion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's when he learned what Amortentia was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A complicated love potion?  It was perfect.  He could </span>
  <span>kill </span>
  <span>two birds with one stone with his plan, to make a scent that would infatuate Iwaizumi, along with showing off his skills in complex potion</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>making.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wow, this must be hard!"  Oikawa didn't know how a 1st year Kageyama </span>
  <span>entered </span>
  <span>his life.  Just because he taught Kageyama how to fly a few times didn't mean that he could just follow Oikawa around.  At that time though, Oikawa didn't mind the attention.  In fact, it boosted his ego a lot more now that he had admirers of all age</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is!"  Oikawa said excitedly, stirring up the ingredients until the very last was thrown in.  Both of them watched in fascination as it bubbled </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>finally the </span>
  <span>promised</span>
  <span> aroma came out</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Oikawa could smell it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and</span>
  <span> Iwaizumi, </span>
  <span>lying</span>
  <span> on the roof of Oikawa’s house and staring up at the stars.  The scent of the night mixed with Iwaizumi, hand in hand as they pointed out different constellations.  </span>
  <span>The scent of bread, Iwaizumi feeding it to him because Oikawa was spoiled but wanted it to be Iwaizumi that spoiled him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>That sweet scent of Iwaizumi, the person he loved the most.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you smell, Tobio-chan?"  Kageyama sniffed the potion, then shrugged.  Oikawa didn't expect much since Kageyama probably couldn't smell a person yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My broom, I guess.  Hot milk?"  Oikawa hummed, nodding his head as he started </span>
  <span>pouring</span>
  <span> the potion</span>
  <span> into</span>
  <span> a </span>
  <span>vial</span>
  <span>, planning to show Iwaizumi right away.  It wasn't like he was going to make him drink it!  Just let him smell it and tell him how hard it was to make, surely impressing Iwaizumi's socks off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor fucking Takeda </span>
  <span>hadn't</span>
  <span> come in, his plan might've worked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan, I said I'm sorry!  I promise I won't make it again."  Oikawa learned that Amortentia was deadly and he really shouldn't have made it. </span>
  <span> It </span>
  <span>got confiscated and now </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>and Iwaizumi had to write an essay about how Amortentia could kill people if misused.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Yeah, Oikawa knew that.  He was just going to sniff it, not drink it.</span>
</p><p><span>"Come on, talk to me, yeah?  Iwa-chan, please," Oikawa whined, crawling into Iwaizumi's bed and hugging </span><span>his back</span><span>.  Iwaizumi wouldn’t say anything, just </span><span>letting</span><span> Oikawa be all clingy.  He used to think that it was because Iwaizumi</span> <span>was so annoyed with him that he would allow it </span><span>just</span><span> to get Oikawa to shut up.  But then, once in a while, Iwaizumi would turn around and hug Oikawa back.</span></p><p>
  <span>"That potion," Iwaizumi mumbled, pushing Oikawa's face into his chest so he couldn't see Iwaizumi's expression.  "What did you smell?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa smiled, shaking his head.  "I won't tell you until you smell it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama came up to Oikawa a few days later, showing Oikawa a paper of how to make Amortentia </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> claiming that </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor Takeda</span>
  <span> had told him he</span>
  <span> could learn soon.  Oikawa laughed, crumpling the paper in his hands and throwing it </span>
  <span>back</span>
  <span> at Kageyama.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So anyone can make it, huh?  Just as long as it's not me?"  Oikawa leaned down, the 1st year's eyes widening as he watched Oikawa look at him with a bitter expression</span>
</p><p><span>"It's a difficult potion.  You think you can handle it when you can't do anything else properly?" </span><span><br/></span><span>"</span><em><span>They think I'm incompetent.  They think I can't handle it on my own</span></em><span>."</span><span><br/></span><span>"I'm sure your empty mind isn't able to comprehend something like this, so don't bother, alright?" </span><span><br/></span><span>"</span><em><span>I work so hard just to be looked down on.  I'm not stupid</span></em><span>."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Leave me alone already, Tobio.  I find it</span> <span>annoying to babysit." </span><span><br/></span><span>"</span><em><span>They see so much potential in you.  What do you have that I don't?</span></em><span>"</span></p><p>
  <span>Oikawa hadn't spoke</span>
  <span>n</span>
  <span> to Kageyama after that, and </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> and Iwaizumi were back to normal soon after</span>
  <span>wards </span>
  <span>as well.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>2) Iwaizumi is popular.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If it weren't for Oikawa intercepting all the confessions girls planned to </span>
  <span>give </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi</span>
  <span>, by now Iwaizumi might've had a girlfriend.  Oikawa wouldn’t allow that</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, and always managed to walk in between them before anything could happen.</span>
</p><p><span>"Is that for Iwa-chan?"  Oikawa asked, watching as a Ravenclaw girl came to the Slytherin tower after a big Quidditch game Slytherin won.  She had a box of chocolates wrapped in heart</span><span>-</span><span>patterned wrapping paper and an envelope on top</span><span>.</span> <span>“</span><span>Iwaizumi-san</span><span>”</span> <span>was</span><span> written on it in cursive. </span></p><p>
  <span>She looked up at Oikawa anxiously </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san?  Yes!  Can you pass it on to him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> please?  I'm a little nervous</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>he giggled cutely</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> making Oikawa want to puke.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ravenclaw.  Beautiful.  Probably really smart.  A </span>
  <em>
    <span>girl</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Oikawa wanted to shove the chocolates in her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You wanna know something about Iwa-chan?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e asked with a sickeningly sweet grin, yanking the chocolates out of her hands and looking down at her.  Oikawa leaned in, right next to her ear.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The girl hiccuped, blushing as if Oikawa was going to try something.  They were all so predictable - liking one boy until another one shows interest.  All of a sudden their attention redirects like </span>
  <span>lightning</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan likes me the best."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Ravenclaw</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>s eyes widened, backing away with a soft gasp.  Almost </span>
  <span>as if</span>
  <span> it </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>timed, Iwaizumi opened the door, stepping out</span>
  <span>side</span>
  <span> and looking from Oikawa to the girl.  Oikawa had already hid the box in his robes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, sorry.  Was I interrupting-""Nope."  Oikawa giggled innocently, turning around to face Iwaizumi, taking his hand, intertwining their fingers.  He could practically see the shocked look on that girl's face when Iwaizumi just casually </span>
  <span>allowed it</span>
  <span>, walking </span>
  <span>inside the Slytherin common room together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Another confession?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Mhm.  Don't worry, I turned her down."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Why should I worry?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"No reason!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then someone approached them oh so bravely and Iwaizumi actually took the fucking letter.  Took it and actually said to Oikawa's face that he didn't know if he would accept the confession.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How could Iwaizumi accept a confession</span>
  <span> from </span>
  <span>a girl when he liked Oikawa?  That was dumb.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Oikawa called out to the Slytherin girl</span>
  <span>. He followed </span>
  <span>her after he left Iwaizumi alone in the library, annoyed and frustrated that someone had </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> the courage to do something so bold - that meant other girls </span>
  <span>might </span>
  <span>get the idea they could do it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The 4th year Slytherin turned around, eyes widening when she saw Oikawa storming towards her</span>
  <span>. She stopped</span>
  <span> where she was so Oikawa could look down at her.</span>
</p><p><span>"Word of advice</span><span>:</span><span>  Iwa-chan doesn't like ugly girls." </span><span><br/></span><span>"</span><em><span>You're pretty and a girl.  You already have a better chance than me</span></em><span>.”</span><span><br/></span><span>"Especially when they're so nosy.  Honestly speaking, men in general </span><span>don’t</span> <span>enjoy </span><span>a girl like that</span><span>,</span><span> either."</span><span><br/></span><span>"</span><em><span>You could live normally with him.  You two could be happy</span></em><span>." </span><span><br/></span><span>"I suggest checking what you have to offer first.  You didn't bring much to the table earlier." </span><span><br/></span><span>"</span><em><span>You don't even need to try.  A boy and a girl - you two would suit each other</span></em><span>." </span></p><p>
  <span>Oikawa couldn't look at Iwaizumi for the next few days, scared that Iwaizumi was mad at him and that Oikawa would say something he would regret.  So he tried the next best thing, which was keeping his distance for now and waiting for Iwaizumi to say something first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa had never missed someone so much.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>3) Iwaizumi is not interested in romance - Oikawa was the exception.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa knew he was special to Iwaizumi.  He was </span>
  <span>his </span>
  <span>best friend!  But it started getting interesting in 3rd year, </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> everyone </span>
  <span>started</span>
  <span> getting curious about dating and kissing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, almost everyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You've never thought about it?  Not even once?"  Oikawa asked in shock, showing Iwaizumi a porno magazine one of the half-bloods</span>
  <span> had</span>
  <span> sneaked in that year.  There was a very nice picture on the cover, the clich</span>
  <span>é</span>
  <span> hot chick on a car, </span>
  <span>all oiled up</span>
  <span> and wearing cllothes that left very little to the imagination.  Everyone was obsessing over it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not really," Iwaizumi shrugged, not reacting even a little bit to the photo.  When literally everyone else was going crazy over huge tits and what a vagina looked like, Iwaizumi was cooped up in his room reading textbooks.  This couldn't just be the Ravenclaw in him.</span>
</p><p><span>"Are you ace?""What's that?""I'm not sure, but I heard it involves not getting turned on</span><span>.</span><span>" Oikawa shrugged, trying to give Iwaizumi a word</span> <span>to describe himself, though he wasn't sure.  Clearly he was uneducated.  Did Iwaizumi just not like sex?</span></p><p>
  <span>"Well, what about you?"  Iwaizumi asked, nodding his head </span>
  <span>at the </span>
  <span>magazine.  "Does that sort of stuff turn you on?"  Oikawa looked down at the magazine</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then back up at Iwaizumi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think your body is much sexier."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The comment earned him a hard hit on the head.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In 4th year</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, he caught Iwaizumi in the act.  It wasn't intentional.  It wasn't like he was trying to spy on </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  Oikawa was crazy, not creepy.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All he wanted to do was shower with Iwaizumi, mainly because it was late and Oikawa didn't want to wait till Iwaizumi was done.  They showered together all the time, it wasn't such a big deal anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa..."  There was a moan from the shower, and Oikawa froze.  He pressed his ear against the door, furrowing his eyebrows.  Did he hear right?  That was undoubtedly Iwaizumi's voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fuck...Oi-Oikawa..."  There was a soft grunt after and some water sloshing.  Oikawa was confident he heard </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span>, quietly opening the door and stepping in.  The </span>
  <span>shower</span>
  <span> curtain was closed, but he could hear it - water slapping against skin and soft moans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was jacking off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa!"  Iwaizumi moaned louder this time, then slapped a hand over his mouth, Oikawa assumed.  There </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>a few more grunts and moans before Iwaizumi's breath hitched and he gasped, Oikawa assuming Iwaizumi had just </span>
  <span>come</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shit.." Oikawa heard Iwaizumi turning the shower off.  That's when he ran out, feeling much better about himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What about this?"  Oikawa approached Iwaizumi a few days later, this time with a porno magazine of men, the half-blood having brought it in for laughs.  No one laughed when Oikawa asked for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Does this turn you on?"  Iwaizumi looked down at it, his blank expression remaining as he shook his head.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not really."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa smirked and nodd</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span>, taking the magazine back.  </span>
  <span>“Thought </span>
  <span>so."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not Tendou's," Oikawa scoffed, even more pissed off than before.  He thought Iwaizumi was finally talking to him properly and was going to apologize, but when he started talking about the potion - how he knew about it, Oikawa wasn't sure - Oikawa wanted to push him out the window.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And it's not yours</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> either, so I don't know why you're so worried."  Oikawa found it annoying </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> Iwaizumi was so concerned about another person.  Oikawa was upset with Iwaizumi, so why was Iwaizumi so concerned about someone else right now?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please, Oikawa.  This isn't a joke."  Oikawa's eyes snapped up and narrowed </span>
  <span>at Iwaizumi</span>
  <span>, then he crossed his arms.  "I know it's not a joke!  I wrote an essay all about the dangers of Amortentia, remember?  I know, alright?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi sighed, nodding and looking down.  "Yeah.  I know you know."  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa's face softened and his arms dropped, looking at how tired Iwaizumi seemed.  He knew he was annoying sometimes, and greedy and spoiled and occasionally rude.  But Iwaizumi never looked at him like he was less of a person.  He never found him too difficult and always handled him properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Did Oikawa feel guilty?  It was kind of gross.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, fine.  You win.  Don't look so depressed," Oikawa mumbled, leading Iwaizumi to their shared dormitory, where he</span>
  <span>’d hidden</span>
  <span> the potion earlier.  He took it out </span>
  <span>of</span>
  <span> his drawer and show</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>it to Iwaizumi, confirming he didn’t do anything weird to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>" Oikawa pulled the Amortentia away before </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>could grab it, a smug look on his face.  "I want to</span>
  <span> confirm</span>
  <span> something."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa popped the lid off, and suddenly the room was </span>
  <span>flooded</span>
  <span> with Iwaizumi.  It was a little different from when he made it in 3rd year </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>this time </span>
  <span>the smell was </span>
  <span>much stronger.  Like how they grew up together, Oikawa's love for his best friend grew too - the scent was almost suffocating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you smell?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could see Iwaizumi being startled at the question, clenching his jaw and reaching out for the potion again, but Oikawa was quicker </span>
  <span>as he backed</span>
  <span> away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah!  Careful, Iwa-cha.  I might spill it."  Iwaizumi sighed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, probably wondering if he should fight Oikawa or just leave the potion alone.  But instead, Iwaizumi looked straight into Oikawa's eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Grass.  My bed.  Tofu."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa narrowed his eyes at Iwaizumi, gritting his teeth and scowling at him.  "You're lying."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa plugged the potion </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span>, gripping it tightly.  He could feel his eyes watering, looking at Iwaizumi to see if he was hesitating, but his stupid straight face was the same as always - maybe Oikawa didn't </span>
  <span>know as much about </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> he thought he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop lying already!  I know you like me!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <em>
    <span>"Is it because I'm a boy?  I can change if you asked me to</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"You treat me like shit and I take it.  Is that not enough?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>You treat me so kindly it makes me warm inside.  I want it all to myself</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"You're so selfish, Iwa-chan!  Mean and selfish!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>I like you so much.  Do you not believe me</span>
  </em>
  <span>?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi watched as Oikawa threw another tantrum.  He was probably tired of them by now, watching as Oikawa let a few tears fall before his shoulders started shaking.  Before he knew it, Oikawa was sobbing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mean!  You're mean, Iwa-chan.  So mean to me!"  Iwaizumi sighed and nodded, reaching to take the potion out of Oikawa's hand</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Oikawa allowed </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span>, letting the stupid potion go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mean, mean, mean!  You never think about me!"  Iwaizumi hummed, taking the potion completely and then pulling Oikawa into a hug, rubbing his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mean, Iwa-chan!  You're mean!"  Oikawa sobbed into Iwaizumi's shoulder, hugging him back.  He hated Iwaizumi.  Absolutely despised him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know," Iwaizumi mumbled into Oikawa's ear, letting Oikawa cry and cry and cry into </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> robes, surely leaving a wet stain when he pull</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm the worst."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Ushijima</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ushijima Wakatoshi</p><p>5th Year</p><p>Pure Blood</p><p>Ravenclaw</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Rock, paper, scissors."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"That is not an accurate nor fair way to decide."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou chuckled a bit, shaking his head, backing away from Ushijima.  He had his hands up in </span>
  <span>surrender </span>
  <span>as he raised</span>
  <span> an eyebrow at the Ravenclaw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well," Tendou grinned at him, though it was a bit sarcastic.  "</span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm</span>
  </em>
  <span> not gonna be the bottom."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima stared at the redhead, crossing his arms, forced to look down.  Tendou's expression was too happy right now </span>
  <span>that he </span>
  <span>could sense this was going to be a conversation that</span>
  <span> would</span>
  <span> come up again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is very clear I </span>
  <span>will</span>
  <span> not </span>
  <span>be</span>
  <span> on the receiving end</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>either," Ushijima responded calmly, watching as Tendou laughed, throwing his head back.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Oh, so I have to look a certain way</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too?  You're so old</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>fashion, Waka-chan</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tendou smirked as he pulled Ushijima in, wrapping his arms around his waist and starting to kiss his neck down to his collarbone. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"It's not about looks.  It's about skill."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima stood there, watching as his boyfriend's lips trailed from his collarbone to his chest, rubbing his hands up and down his abdomen.  </span>
  <span>He</span>
  <span> didn't react.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Rock, paper, scissors!"  Even </span>
  <span>as </span>
  <span>Tendou said it, he held up paper while Ushijima held up scissors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> for fuck</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>s sake," Tendou sighed, shaking his head and stepping away with an annoyed look on his face.  "We're talking about this later</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tendou huffed, pursing his lips as he picked his books up</span>
  <span>. T</span>
  <span>he two </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> hiding in the library, which was all Tendou's idea to have a little fun.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bye, sweetheart," Tendou practically sang, kissing Ushijima sweetly on the lips before skipping off to his next class.  Ushijima watched his back, Tendou turning around one last time </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> blow </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> a kiss, winking, then laughing as he </span>
  <span>disappeared from </span>
  <span>view.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"'Old</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>fashion?</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>"  Ushijima mumbled to himself,</span>
  <span> leaving</span>
  <span> the library shortly after</span>
  <span>wards</span>
  <span>.  "Am I?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima ended up thinking about it for the rest of the day.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When Ushijima became a prefect in his 3rd year, he didn't realize it would involve night and morning patrols to make sure that students were in their dormitories and not wandering around.  But after realizing it was an important part of the job, he started taking </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> seriously, filing anyone who was out and about at midnight when they were supposed to be in their dorm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually, mornings were quiet - the sun wouldn't even be out yet.  Sometimes he </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> the only one, just walking alone in the hallways bright and early, thinking and thinking with nothing to distract </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One time, </span>
  <span>he found one of the exits open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was unusual</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> of course </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> the exit being </span>
  <span>open</span>
  <span> and no teacher </span>
  <span>being </span>
  <span>called</span>
  <span>.  Then he remembered that as a prefect, it was his responsibility to keep the students safe.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>So he had to be the one to go out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morning at Hogwarts was usual</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span> peaceful and safe.  All he had to do was find </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>student and bring them back inside safely, and depending on what they were doing</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he could </span>
  <span>decide </span>
  <span>a punishment.  So he walked and walked, trying to find something to indicate whether the student </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> actually left school properly or was just sitting around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he found </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> shredded clothes.  </span>
  <span>They were</span>
  <span> a student's robes and cape </span>
  <span>in a line </span>
  <span>like they were taking them off as they were walking.  Ushijima took his wand out and followed the trail right into the Forbidden Forest, keeping his gaze forward as he </span>
  <span>searched</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Were they hurt?  Ushijima </span>
  <span>tried to </span>
  <span>keep a clear mind, turning his head to make sure he was safe</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> as well.  The logical thing to do now was help them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hello?"  Ushijima called out when the trail ended, standing right in the middle of the forest and looking around </span>
  <span>for</span>
  <span> any </span>
  <span>sign </span>
  <span>of danger, but there was none.  He was alone with a bunch of trees and shredded clothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then there was a growl.  It was low and dark and loud, coming from right behind </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  He turned, coming face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>face with a large, wolf-like creature glaring at him</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>baring </span>
  <span>its </span>
  <span>teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A werewolf.  Red fur, sharp fangs, clawing at the dirt with </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> big paws.  The wolf growled again, howling in Ushijima's face, causing other wolves to howl after him.  If he looked up at the sky, he would have seen the full moon.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The wolf growled again, looking right at Ushijima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima thought he was beautiful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, it was turning into morning and the moon was fading as the sun rose.  With the transformation of the sky, the wolf went along with it, his body wriggling around as the moon disappeared, starting with his head turning into a human's, then the rest of his figure with it until there was only that - a human body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naked, shivering and scared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima didn't recognize him, but </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> seemed </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> recognize Ushijima because </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>was panicking.  He was trying to get up, his mouth opening to explain himself, but Ushijima stopped him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Here</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e took his cape off and wrapped it around the red</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>haired student, his expression </span>
  <span>unchanging</span>
  <span>.  "You might catch a cold in this weather."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The </span>
  <span>same student came up to him later that day, pulling him to the side.  </span>
  <span>His wand was pressed up against Ushijima's neck, glaring up at him.  </span>
  <span>The red hair definitely made him memorable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> "I have to kill you now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't a statement Ushijima thought was used to make a friend, but he looked serious, so Ushijima took him seriously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We have the same anatomy.  If you were uncomfortable, then I apolo-""Not because you saw me </span>
  <em>
    <span>naked</span>
  </em>
  <span>." Ushijima was cut off, an annoyed look on the student’s face </span>
  <span>because</span>
  <span> Ushijima showed no signs of mockery.  In fact, Ushijima showed no signs of</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> well..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh?  Then why?"  With a frustrated sigh</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> his face turned red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because you saw me.  Aren't you a Ravenclaw?  Can't you figure this stuff out?"  Ushijima tilted his head to the side, still not fully understanding this boy's point.  Ushijima's confusion must have thrown him off</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because he could feel his wand lower.</span>
</p><p><span>"I'm-I'm a werewolf," he breathed out, almost scared that he</span> <span>said it.  "Aren't you gonna report me?  Aren't you scared?"</span></p><p>
  <span>Ushijima could see the look of panic in his eyes.  Even though he was trying to be intimidating, the rapid heartbeat and sweat that dripped down his forehead - he wasn't terrifying.  He was terrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I thought you were beautiful."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima later found out his name was Tendou Satori.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Tendou sick again?"  Professor Takeda asked, handing Ushijima extra papers for </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>otions.  Ushijima just nodded, taking </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span> and bowing</span>
  <span> in thanks</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p><span>"Tell Tendou he should really go check</span> <span>if he has something," Takeda told him from a place of concern.  Ushijima just looked at him, giving him a short nod, then walked out of the classroom.</span><span><br/></span><span>He knew people would eventual</span><span>ly </span><span>catch on.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Ushijima-san</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kiyoko, a Ravenclaw a year below, called out</span>
  <span> to him</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>handing him some papers</span>
  <span>.  "This is from History.  You needed it, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you, Kiyoko.  It must have been a bit of trouble."  The two ended up talking for a few minutes, discussing Quidditch and the upcoming season.  Ushijima didn't see a problem with their conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You talked to her," Tendou growled, pulling Ushijima into his dorm when he arrived and trapping him </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> a hug.  "That Kiyoko chick</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e sniffed Ushijima's neck, his arms tightening around </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  "You talked to her."</span>
</p><p><span>One thing Ushijima found out was that as a werewolf, Tendou's senses were heightened.  His smell was impeccable </span><span>-</span><span> he could hear when Ushijima mumbled and see the </span><span>G</span><span>olden </span><span>S</span><span>nitch from miles away.</span><span><br/></span><span>This</span> <span>also meant that Tendou could </span><span>tell</span><span> who Ushijima ha</span><span>d</span><span> been around recently.</span></p><p>
  <span>"We discussed some things for Quidditch.  Nothing more."  Tendou growled, snatching the papers out of Ushijma's hand</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> and throwing them to the side before hugging Ushijima tightly again.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll be the judge of that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The week of the full moon were sometimes terrible, but most times barely bearable.  Tendou claimed he was sick when he excuse</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>himself </span>
  <span>from</span>
  <span> classes, then during the day he was sluggish and whining all the time.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>When night came, Ushijima would sneak him outside and wait until the sun came out to bring Tendou back in</span>
  <span>side</span>
  <span> safely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How do you feel?"  Ushijima asked, putting a hand on Tendou's forehead, but the Slytherin just growled </span>
  <span>and shook it </span>
  <span>off.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I'm not actually sick," he hissed, pressing his face into Ushijima's neck even more.  "Just...like this.  Please, just stay still."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Ushijima did.  He didn't move an inch, letting Tendou inhale his scent for as long as he wanted.  Ushijima still didn't understand all this werewolf stuff, despite reading about it in textbooks and researching as much as he could in the library.  He could never fully understand since he could never experience it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You'll come tonight?"  Tendou asked, hiking his legs up and wrapping them around Ushijima's waist, which Ushijima responded </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>by holding him up</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>grabbing the back of Tendou’s thighs. </span>
  <span> The n</span>
  <span>ext thing Ushijima did was sit down on Tendou's bed so they were both comfortable, letting Tendou sniff him to his heart's content.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course.  I always do</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Ushijima nodded firmly, as if he </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>about to head out on a mission.  It made Tendou laugh, which was enough for Ushijima to believe he was okay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"God, Waka-chan.  Sometimes I think you're the beast in this relationship."  Ushijima didn't laugh, pulling away so he could look at Tendou's face properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But you are not a beast." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou looked back at him, his laugh turning into a sad, small smile.  Ushijima didn't understand, couldn't understand.  He wanted to understand Tendou, but at the end of the day he couldn't.  This was all he could do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wakatoshi.  I'm pretty sure you're the only one </span>
  <span>who</span>
  <span> thinks that."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Wolfsbane could kill a werewolf.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please, Waka-chan, just make it for me.  It's only once a month, and you only need to make one batch!  It's not like I'm actually going to die."  This was probably Tendou's third or fourth attempt this week asking Ushijima to make it for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wolfsbane could also be used to suppress a werewolf transformation during a full moon, but it was risky.  </span>
  <span>If Tendou accidentally drank too much, then there would be no more Wolfsbane for him to drink.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Because he would be dead.</span>
</p><p><span>"You will get sick," Ushijima said bluntly, not looking </span><span>directly</span><span> at </span><span>him</span><span>.  He pretended to be reading, but in reality, Ushijima did study about Wolfsbane.  He studied</span> <span>because Tendou said it would help him.  Tendou asked him, so he did</span> <span>it.</span><span><br/></span><span>But he wouldn't do this.</span></p><p><span>"People are starting to ask," Tendou pressed, moving Ushijima's book to the side </span><span>and</span><span> making the Ravenclaw sigh.  He still didn't look at Tendou</span><span>,</span><span> though.  "They know something's up.  I don’t go to</span> <span>class for a whole week</span><span> every</span><span> month, for fuck</span><span>’</span><span>s sake.  They're gonna fucking ask some questions.  I'd be offended if they didn't, actually."</span></p><p><span>When Ushijima did his research on Wolfsbane, he</span> <span>learned that if Tendou did take a normal amount, he'd get sick.  Not </span><span>“</span><span>cough cough, achoo achoo</span><span>”</span><span> sort of sick - god, Ushijima would've preferred that.</span><span><br/></span><span>He would look like he was starving</span><span>. H</span><span>is skin would turn grey and sometimes he wouldn't even have enough strength to walk.  Tendou would trudge around, his feet too heavy to lift, and Ushijima would watch </span><span>in agony</span><span> because Tendou could collapse any moment.  He would much rather Tendou just skip class.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I do not understand</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Ushijima finally looked up at him, his poker face changing slightly - he was confused.  And Tendou was frustrated.  "Can you not tell an authority figure?  Surely they will understand.  A responsible adult will watch over you in your condition." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou sighed loudly, sitting in front of Ushijima and</span>
  <span> placing </span>
  <span>his hands over his mouth, looking like he was </span>
  <span>trying to think</span>
  <span> of what to say to make Ushijima understand.  That was the biggest problem right now - Ushijima not understanding and probably never</span>
  <span> being</span>
  <span> able to understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you know what the penalty for being a werewolf is, Wakatoshi?"  Tendou asked, and before Ushijima could ask</span>
  <span>, “W</span>
  <span>hat penalty?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> Tendou was already answering.</span>
</p><p><span>"I could go to Azkaban.  Azkaban.  And that's</span> <span>for </span><em><span>being</span></em><span> a werewolf - I don't even have to do anything."  Ushijima's confused </span><span>expression </span><span>only got more confused.  How could someone be sent to prison for just being something?  It didn't make sense.</span><span><br/></span><span>Azkaban, wizard prison, was a fate worse than death.  It broke you down into a thousand pieces, then broke </span><span>each piece </span><span>down </span><span>into</span><span> another thousand pieces until you were useless and broken and unfix-able.    </span><span><br/></span><span>How could a kid be sent there just for existing?</span></p><p>
  <span>"Fucked up, right?"  Tendou laughed bitterly, but Ushijima found nothing funny about </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> situation.  "I could go to jail for </span>
  <em>
    <span>existing</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  I don't have to do anything dangerous for someone to report me.  If anyone realized what I was, I could be banished.  I could be sent away forever.  I </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>actually die."  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima was still looking at him, more conflicted than confused.  If that much was true and Tendou </span>
  <span>could</span>
  <span> get arrested just for </span>
  <span>being </span>
  <span>on the street, wasn't that unfair?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you know what that's like, Wakatoshi?  Imagine you're walking around minding your own business, not harming anyone at all, and then suddenly an officer is following you.  You don't even have to do anything suspicious!  I was just walking, minding my own business, not hurting anyone, not even </span>
  <em>
    <span>looking </span>
  </em>
  <span>at anyone.  And he had the audacity to point his wand at me.  I wasn't doing anything!  I wasn't-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima watched as Tendou hit his head on the table</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>followed by his fist.  He couldn't see his face, but he could hear Tendou crying.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima decided he would make the Wolfsbane.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't ask to be born this way," Tendou said softly after drinking the Wolfsbane for the first time. Ushijima could already see his skin paling.  "I didn't think my whole life </span>
  <span>would revolve</span>
  <span> around such a stupid status.  I didn't want to be one.  I just want to be like...everyone else."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima watched as Tendou stared up at the full moon, probably </span>
  <span>for</span>
  <span> the first time </span>
  <span>as a</span>
  <span> human.  Even though he looked more and more sick by the second and had to lean on Ushijima for support, Tendou still smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am truly sorry," Ushijima whispered to him as he carried Tendou to his bed, tucking him in and making sure he was properly under the blankets. </span>
  <span> “That I cannot understand."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>"Ushijima!"  Ushijima turned around, watching as Iwaizumi</span><span> jogged </span><span>towards him.  Ushijima</span> <span>stopped, waiting to see what he wanted.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Do you know where Tendou is?"  Of course Tendou was resting.  The middle of the week of the full moon was the worst for Tendou, the moon being </span>
  <span>at its</span>
  <span> brightest and strongest.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>That meant Tendou was at his weakest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He is not feeling well.  He decided to stay in the hospital wing," Ushijima told him, watching as Iwaizumi hesitate</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>.  "Why?"</span>
</p><p><span>Iwaizumi was thinking.  Ushijima didn't know what </span><span>he was thinking</span><span>, but he was thinking.  He was thinking for too long because</span> <span>Ushijima started to turn around when nothing else was said.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Wait," Iwaizumi stopped him, making Ushijima turn again and look at him.  "Is it alright if I go see him?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This made Ushijima raise an eyebrow.  Tendou didn't have many friends.  He had people he talked to, mainly Slytherins, but Tendou ha</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>told him countless times that if he made a friend, it would just end badly.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>So Iwaizumi asking to see him was very suspicious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"For what purpose?"  Ushiijima asked, his voice almost grunting as he stared Iwaizumi down, the Slytherin not backing down </span>
  <span>either, </span>
  <span>though.  Typical.</span>
</p><p><span>"I have something for him," Iwaizumi said.  "And I need to deliver it to him.  I can't pass</span> <span>it to anyone else, even you."  At this, Ushijima narrowed his eyes.  That was suspicious too.</span></p><p>
  <span>“Forbidden," was all Ushijima said before turning around again and continuing walking.  Ushijima actually had no problem with Iwaizumi.  Oikawa</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though...they were too connected.  Ushijima didn't want to risk it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait!  This is important</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Iwaizumi tried again, and Ushijima </span>
  <span>started</span>
  <span> to think that this was more important than he thought.  Iwaizumi's expression seemed different, but his face was hard to read</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can come with me.  But I really need to give this to him."  His tone was urgent, and considering this was</span>
  <span> his</span>
  <span> third attempt to get something to Tendou, Ushijima mildly considered it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I will accompany you to the hospital wing and you will stay 3 metres </span>
  <span>away </span>
  <span>from him," Ushijima stated, looking at Iwaizumi to make sure that he understood the conditions.  There was a pause, like Iwaizumi was deciding it was worth it,</span>
  <span> but</span>
  <span> then he nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's fair."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Ushijima took him to the hospital wing.  He stopped Iwaizumi right before Tendou's bed, wanting to make sure that Tendou was in good condition, but when he </span>
  <span>pulled back the curtain</span>
  <span>, Tendou was asleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Give it to me.  I'll leave it here with him," Ushijima said, holding his hand out to take whatever Iwaizumi wanted to give him.  There was more hesitation this time, which was unusual coming from Iwaizumi, but Ushijima </span>
  <span>finally </span>
  <span>understood why he</span>
  <span>’d been</span>
  <span> thinking so much </span>
  <span>when </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi p</span>
  <span>ulled out the potion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amortentia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where did you get this?"  Ushijima snatched it from Iwaizumi, looking at it closely to make sure it was such a potion. </span>
  <span> H</span>
  <span>is eyes </span>
  <span>snapped</span>
  <span> back up </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> Iwaizumi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who had a surprised look on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So it was Tendou's-""Where?  Where did you get it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amortentia was strong.  Powerful, vigorous.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tendou was weak.  Sensitive, tired.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even the mere scent of it would clash with the Wolfsbane.  For 1/4 of the month he </span>
  <span>lost</span>
  <span> so much strength already.  Just smelling this - it would make him insane.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I was told it belongs to-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who gave it to you?"  Ushijima asked urgently, holding Iwaizumi firmly by the shoulders.  He couldn't know.  No one could know.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>No one could report Tendou.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Someone just said it was his!  They asked me to return it, but he hasn't been in the dorms for so long</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Iwaizumi answered truthfully, shocked by such a reaction.  Ushijima needed to calm down.  Iwaizumi didn't seem to cause him any harm.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He slowly let Iwaizumi go, taking a deep breath and nodding.  The potion was clutched</span>
  <span> in</span>
  <span> his hand tightly </span>
  <span>as he held </span>
  <span>it against his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then.  I'll...make sure to give it to Tendou when he wakes."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Tendou</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING - This chapter contains POLICE BRUTALITY and RACIAL PROFILING.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tendou Satori</p><p>5th Year</p><p>Half Blood (technically - on his mom's side)</p><p>Slytherin</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As a kid, Tendou never understood all the rules his dad would give him.  There were so many, mainly revolving </span>
  <span>around</span>
  <span> him socializing with other people.  He had to be careful since he couldn't expose what he was, and he definitely couldn't tell people willingly</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou couldn't go to sleepovers.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou couldn't go out at night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou couldn't go to school.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou couldn't do a lot of things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hogwarts was almost impossible, but the headmaster promised him protection and safety.  His dad forbade him from attending any sort of school before, telling him that he would </span>
  <span>homeschool</span>
  <span> Tendou for the rest of his life, which obviously wasn't what Tendou wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou wanted to go out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou wanted to have fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou wanted to make friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou wanted to do a lot of things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Going to Hogwarts was the best thing that could happen to him.  There were a lot of conditions they had to meet, like not expelling Tendou when he missed 1/4 of the curriculum and making sure there was no way people could be</span>
  <span>come</span>
  <span> suspicious of him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>When he went to Hogwarts, he thought he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> escaped all those rules that confined him from being himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It turned out</span>
  <span> that </span>
  <span>when you were someone like Tendou, it didn't matter.  Wherever you went there would always be rules.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Rule #1 - Don't go outside - even if it wasn't a full moon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His dad didn't want him risking it.  There could be no moon and Tendou still wasn't allowed to go outside. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Even though the sky was so pretty and the stars would be out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There are scary people out there," his dad told him, locking</span>
  <span> his</span>
  <span> windows and door shut.  "They can sense what you are even without seeing you transform.  Please, Satori.  Stay inside."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou hated staying inside.  So one day, he went outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it was fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked the night streets, looking at the different shops and stores that were still open.  His family lived in a small town where there weren't that many buildings, but there were little family</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>owned stores and shops that had their lights on </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> the front.  He could smell the delicious food cooking, the bakery just down the street, the perfume someone was wearing on their first date, the street cats that</span>
  <span> snuck into</span>
  <span> the garbage for some food.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He could see it, smell it - feel it.  He felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, kid," an officer</span>
  <span> growled </span>
  <span>low, making his way to Tendou </span>
  <span>with</span>
  <span> his wand out.  Tendou panicked, staying where he was and not resisting.  He didn't know what he</span>
  <span>’d done</span>
  <span>, but he regretted it anyway.</span>
</p><p><span>"What d'ya think you</span> <span>doin', kid?  You just walkin'?"  Tendou gulped, watching as the officer came face to face with him, awfully close even though they weren't touching.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Officer, I didn't do anything-""Who said you can talk, kid?!"  </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>he officer yelled, pointing his wand</span>
  <span> at </span>
  <span>Tendou's head.  Tendou was shaking now, gulping nervously and </span>
  <span>clamping </span>
  <span>his eyes </span>
  <span>shut</span>
  <span>, wishing so desperately to go home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What did he do?  Did he look that suspicious?  He was just walking.  What did the officer see him doing?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Officer, what did I do-""Talkin' back, huh?  I'll show you somethin' to talk about."  </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>he officer kicked him in the shin</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> making Tendou fall </span>
  <span>and hiss</span>
  <span> at the sudden attack.  The officer put Tendou's hands behind his back and used a charm to cuff him up.  Tendou noticed that </span>
  <span>they</span>
  <span> were thick and made of strong steel, probably charmed to be impossible to break out of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You think I can't tell what you are, kid?  I know</span>
  <span> your </span>
  <span>kind," the officer spat at him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> making Tendou snap his eyes open and look at the officer.  What did he do?  Why was he being arrested?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You don't need to do anythin'.  Beasts like you, you’re gonna harm someone or another eventually.  Always do."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou's dad got him out of jail in the morning, apologizing to the officer multiple times and thanking him for letting his son go.  Tendou still didn't see what he did wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> officer.  I swear, he won't do </span>
  <span>it </span>
  <span>again."  Won't do what again?  Walk around?  Walk around his own neighbourhood?  Tendou couldn't do that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I told you, Satori!  Not at night!  Not at night, I've said it again and again.  If you’re not gonna listen, you're gonna end up on the streets.  No, not even the streets - you’d be dead!  You're lucky that officer was nice enough to let you</span>
  <span> off</span>
  <span> with a warning.  I'm telling you, boy, if you don't start straightening up and listening to what I say, something's gonna come to you and you won't be ready.  Satori, are you listening?  Are you listening to your damn father, Satori!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The crescent moon was beautiful, especially when Ushijima was beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It looks like a smile," Tendou pointed out</span>
  <span>. He</span>
  <span> pointed to two stars beside it.  "Those are the eyes, then the moon is the mouth.  It's really pretty," he giggled, intertwining his and Ushijima's fingers together,  leaning his head </span>
  <span>against</span>
  <span> Ushijima’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima didn't say anything, just looking up at the moon.  Tendou was sure Ushijima was trying to make out the smile.</span>
</p><p><span>"I think Tendou’s</span> <span>smile is the prettiest."</span></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Rule #2 - Do NOT go outside during the full moon - even during the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something about power or whatever</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> Tendou wasn't listening to his dad when he was explaining it.  But the first time it happened </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> his transformation </span>
  <span>during</span>
  <span> the full moon</span>
  <span> - </span>
  <span>Tendou hated it.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His dad took him out to a nearby forest, </span>
  <span>but went deep inside so that they were extra sure they wouldn't get caught.  </span>
  <span>Tendou thought it was stupid - until he transformed for the first time and understood a little more why he had to hide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a feral feeling.  Everything looked the same.  His dad was a bigger wolf</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>obviously, so Tendou didn't attack him, but everything smaller, he attacked.  As long as it was moving, he attacked, ripping it </span>
  <span>apart</span>
  <span> with his sharp teeth</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> throwing the</span>
  <span> shreds</span>
  <span> to the side.  He clawed roughly into the flesh of different beings </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> a fox, a rabbit - anything that stood in his way.</span>
</p><p><span>Every morning when he </span><span>woke </span><span>up, he wouldn't remember what he</span> <span>killed.  He would have blood on his mouth and hands, sometimes remnants of what he</span><span>’d</span> <span>done </span><span>the night before.</span><span><br/></span><span>Every morning he would regret what he did and pray that he didn’t kill a human.</span></p><p>
  <span>"It's not impossible," his dad mumbled one day, explaining what transforming was like for him.  Tendou had a lot of questions - </span>
  <span>whether </span>
  <span>his dad had ever killed a human </span>
  <span>being one</span>
  <span> of them.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Sometimes I don't remember, but as you get older you </span>
  <span>get </span>
  <span>better at identifying what's what.  You can tell what's cold</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>blooded or warm</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>blooded.  But the most important thing I learned was who your mom was."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mom loved his dad almost more than his dad loved his mom.  Tendou wanted to fall in love the same way.  With the way he lived</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, he thought it would be impossible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Even during the day, it could affect you.  The full moon is very powerful, alright</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Satori?  Don't forget that.  Don't underestimate it.  You might accidentally do something you'll forget.  Your senses are already sharp on a normal day - don't underestimate yourself</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> either."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Satori would stay in his room locked up even when the sun was out and shining.  Most of the time he felt only a little crazy.  Sometimes he would have to chew on his pillows, but for the most part he could control himself during the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But as he got older, just like his dad said, both morning and night made him go insane.  He needed to go out and transform or else he was going to do it inside and his roommates were probably not prepared to see that.  So he would sneak out and get a few howls in before transforming back in the morning and making it back inside before anyone else woke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was tiring, but he had no choice.  It was just </span>
  <span>a part </span>
  <span>of who he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Wolfsbane was supposed to </span>
  <span>allow him</span>
  <span> to go to classes with Ushijima.  Spend the day properly with Ushijima, date properly with Ushijima - just be with Ushijima.  He didn't think he would be this sick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let it out</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Ushijima patted his back as Tendou puked in the toilet, probably </span>
  <span>for </span>
  <span>the third time that day.  Wolfsbane tasted disgusting.  "It is better to let it out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou pulled his head out of the toilet looking like shit.  His eyes were sunken in and red, his skin was grey and pasty,</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> his body was basically a skeleton.  </span>
  <span>But t</span>
  <span>he Wolfsbane made it so he only needed to transform in the middle of the week, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> that was enough.  He could be somewhat normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You do not need to take it if it makes you this sick," Ushijima reassured him, but Tendou shook his head.  He wanted to take the Wolfsbane and not transform 6 or 7 nights out of the month.  Every time he transformed, Ushijima waited and made sure he </span>
  <span>didn’t get</span>
  <span> hurt. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>One day though, it would be Ushijima who got hurt, and no one would be able to make sure he was safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know I'm not the hottest I've been, but you still love me, right?"  Tendou laughed, intending it </span>
  <span>as </span>
  <span>a joke.  Of course Ushijima didn't laugh - he rarely did</span>
  <span>, which</span>
  <span> sometimes freaked Tendou out - but it didn't matter.  Tendou rins</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>his mouth in the sink, getting rid of the vomit taste.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course," Ushijima said seriously, not showing any sign of fluster or sarcasm.  Tendou stood straight to look at him properly, raising an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am certain.  I love Tendou the most."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Rule #3 - Do not make any friends - especially when they seem friendly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This one was easy for Tendou to follow since he was picky about the people he talked to anyway.  </span>
  <span>He</span>
  <span> wouldn't waste his breath being nice to someone when it was unnecessary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm about to beat your fucking ass if you don't say it to my face!"  Some short Gryffindor kid screamed at Tendou after Tendou made a comment about his height.  He must've not found it as funny as Tendou did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Go on, say it to my face!  I fucking dare you, you twickfuck!"  What was his name again?  Nesuniya?  Nisanuya?  Something like that, Tendou couldn't remember.  </span>
  <span>He responded by </span>
  <span>smirking slyly, exaggerating his need to bend down and look the Gryffindor in the face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How's this, pumpkin head?  Go back to your patch where you belong</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tendou stood back up, looking down at him, then turned around and walked away.  He could hear the Gryffindor's friends holding him back as he tried to attack Tendou, which didn't make him react too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly speaking, Noshinaya (Tendou really </span>
  <span>needed</span>
  <span> to learn his name) was a good Beater.  Outgoing, fun, friendly, probably able to be at least close acquaintances with </span>
  <span>anyone</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He was the exact person Tendou had to avoid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If they were friendly, that mean</span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span> they wanted something.  No one </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> nice without a purpose.  Once they </span>
  <span>found </span>
  <span>out Tendou was dangerous and couldn't offer them anything but a chance at death if they weren't careful, they would surely throw him away.  Or worse, report him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's what almost happened to his dad.  If his mom </span>
  <span>hadn’t found</span>
  <span> him and work</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> hard to make sure</span>
  <span> he</span>
  <span> didn't go to Azkaban, Tendou wouldn't </span>
  <span>have been</span>
  <span> born.  Imagine a world without Tendou!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Honestly</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Tendou, you gotta be a little nicer, yeah?  They say it's the short ones </span>
  <span>who </span>
  <span>bite the hardest."  Oikawa grinned at him, throwing Tendou a towel as they finished Quidditch practice.  That's why Tendou liked Slytherins - they had that mindset as well.  They were picky </span>
  <span>about </span>
  <span>who they talked to, not afraid to</span>
  <span> cut off </span>
  <span>anyone who would be bad for</span>
  <span> them</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tendou responded with a grin equally as sarcastic.  "I'm pretty sure I can bite harder."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ushijima liked Tendou for Tendou - crazy, right?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even when Tendou was a sarcastic little shit, teasing him and being mean, Ushijima liked him.  It was weird and the first time Tendou had ever experienced something so pure.  Was pure the right word?  Maybe sincere was better, or genuine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima was genuine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you just trying to fuck?"  Tendou asked one day, his head in Ushijima's lap </span>
  <span>as he looked </span>
  <span>up at his poker face.  "If that's the case, just tell me.  I won't find it disgusting."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima looked down at him, running a hand through Tendou’s hair lightly and then </span>
  <span>shaking</span>
  <span> his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If </span>
  <span>that were true</span>
  <span>, I would have had you a long time ago."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou turned red at the comment, hitting Ushijima's stomach and hiding his face in the same spot he hit.  "You sly bastard," he mumbled, wrapping his arm around his waist to hug Ushijima closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is true</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though," Ushijima said seriously, like he said most things.  "If I wanted something from you I would have asked a long time ago."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou didn't respond, just hiding his face and enjoying the moment, assuming that Ushijima would go, “haha, just kidding</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> and leave him one day.  It hadn't happened yet, but Tendou was ready for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I want nothing else but Tendou."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou turned even </span>
  <span>redder</span>
  <span>, maybe the same shade as his hair, burying his face deeper in Ushijima's clothes.  "Fucking sly bastard..."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Waking up after drinking Wolfsbane was the worst feeling in the world.  It was like getting a hangover plus a really bad cold after you found out your millionaire grandma died </span>
  <span>last night </span>
  <span>and left you no money.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tendou basically felt really</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> really shitty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Waking up to Ushijima</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>that made things much better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, here to give me some pre-full</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>moon head?"  Tendou asked cheekily, leaning closer to Ushijima</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who was sitting beside his hospital bed, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> puckering his lips.  Ushijima didn't move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is this?"  Ushijima took out the potion - that fucking potion - and showed it to him.  </span>
  <span>Tendou's eyes widened, gasping and trying to take it from Ushijima but Ushijima was quicker.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"What is this?"</span>
</p><p><span>Tendou must have been sick for the Amortentia </span><span>lesson</span><span> because he</span> <span>had no idea what it was the first time he</span> <span>smelt it.  He went crazy the first time and psychotic the second.</span></p><p>
  <span>Smelling that much of Ushijima - especially with a full moon coming - </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> body couldn't take it.  His mind would go foggy, his knees weak.  His whole body would shake and he wouldn't be able to think about anything else but Ushijima the whole time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then when he bumped into that Hufflepuff, spilling it on the floor - Tendou almost transformed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not even mine," Tendou coughed out</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Ushijima's stern face </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> even scar</span>
  <span>ier</span>
  <span>.  It gave Tendou chills</span>
  <span>, which </span>
  <span>didn't help </span>
  <span>when</span>
  <span> he was </span>
  <span>already</span>
  <span> sick.  "It's the headmaster's son's.  I thought...I thought they were trying to expose me or something</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> so I took it."  </span>
  <span>As</span>
  <span> Tendou explained, Ushijima</span>
  <span> nodded</span>
  <span> and then put it down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I see</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e watched as Ushijima put </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> in his robes, unsure and wary as to what Ushijima was going to do with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're not going to return it?"  The Ravenclaw just looked at him before shaking his head slowly.  Like this was the first time he</span>
  <span>’d done </span>
  <span>something bad and he was still pondering if it was worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If it spills around </span>
  <span>you</span>
  <span>...it would be bad," Ushijima stated, Tendou's heart jumping at his concern.  If he wasn't as weak as shit right now, Tendou would've jumped on him for sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So you'll just keep it?  Even if it's the headmaster's kid's?"</span>
</p><p><span>"Only for now.  I'll return it after the full moon.  When you are better," Ushijima explained</span><span>.</span><span> Tendou </span><span>knew</span> <span>he</span><span> would ultimately do what was right.</span><span><br/></span><span>It did belong to Akaashi.  It should go back to him.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I won't let go of it for now.  Not for a second."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou raised an eyebrow at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, a small smirk on his face.  "Oh?  Why, Waka-chan?  Smell something interesting?"  He was just teasing Ushijima like always, but </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> seemed to never learn from his mistakes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I smelt </span>
  <span>you</span>
  <span>, of course.  Because I love Tendou the most."</span>
</p><p><span>Tendou choked, looking away as he turned red</span><span>. He couldn’t </span><span>handle such</span> <span>words while Ushijima's </span><span>expression</span><span> looked like he was about to fight someone.  He could at least soften it up a bit.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Fucking sly bastard."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N - Tendou is the last POV!  Yay!  We will be revisiting characters of course, but these 16 will be the only ones who have specific POVs :D .<br/>I have an idea for future chapters, but first I need to ask you guys (who are reading) a simple question :</p><p>Which couple was your favourite?<br/>This could just be in general (your favourite ship) OR which story line you liked the most!</p><p>I will take this into consideration for future chapters!  Please don't hesitate to tell me.<br/>Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a fantastic day~!</p><p> </p><p>EDIT:<br/>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The Quidditch Match</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Where they all come together.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N - For those who are unsure how to play Quidditch or how Quidditch works, please look at this link so you can follow along with ease~! :</p><p>https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Quidditch#:~:text=Each%20goal%20scored%20is%20worth,whose%20Seeker%20made%20the%20catch.<br/>This will help also visualize the playing field and the bleachers (and how high they are!)</p><p>Basically (what you need to know for the chapter) :<br/>Keeper = goal keeper<br/>Chasers = mostly offensive players<br/>Beaters = mostly defensive  (literally beat the other team's players)<br/>Seeker = finds the golden snitch (worth 150 points)<br/>Quaffle = ball that scores points when hit in the goals (worth 10 points)<br/>Bludger = ball that hits players off their broom (Beaters must hit it out of the way for their players)<br/>Golden Snitch = worth 150 points - when the Seeker catches it the game is over</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Hey, hey, hey!  Welcome all staff and students to the very first Quidditch match of the school year!  I am one of your commentators, Bokuto Koutarou, and I'm accompanied by my stunning co-commentator-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Hello</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> everyone.  I'm Akaashi Keiji, </span>
  <span>your </span>
  <span>other commentator."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a loud cheer from the crowd, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> Bokuto smil</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> widely at </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span>, then at Akaashi.  Akaashi managed a small smile back.</span>
</p><p><span>"Today," Bokuto continued, "we have a very interesting match!  Gryffindor vers</span><span>u</span><span>s Slytherin!!"  The crowd went wild, each side either heavily red or dominantly green.  There was no in between.</span><span><br/></span><span>"Let's go over the team members, shall we?"  Bokuto cleared his throat,</span> <span>the two teams coming out of their chang</span><span>ing</span><span> rooms and on the field.  "On the Gryffindor team we have Daichi Sawamura as captain and Keeper.  Our amazing Chasers Kageyama Tobio, Kuroo Tetsurou and Koganegawa Kanji.  Our unbeatable, insane Beaters Tanaka Ryuunosuke and Nishinoya Yuu, and finally, last but not least, as golden as the </span><span>S</span><span>nitch itself, our one and only Seeker, Hinata Shouyou!"</span></p><p>
  <span>A loud, deafening cheer went through the spectators</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span> seats, screams and stomps here and there.  The Gryffindor team waved, smiling widely as they walked to the middle, everyone with their brooms in hand and game faces on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you, Bokuto-san," Akaashi continued on as soon as the stadium was quiet.  "Now on the opposing side, cunning and clever, we have our Slytherin team."  Yelling and </span>
  <span>applause</span>
  <span> went around the crowd, pretty much the same volume as Gryffindor's (but everyone was sure only Slytherins cheered Slytherin on).</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"On the Slytherin side we have the team Keeper Tsukishima Kei, then their talented Chasers Tendou Satori, Sugawara Koushi and Goshiki Tsutomu.  Their strong, intimidating Beaters Iwaizumi Hajime and Futakuchi Kenji.  Finally, the captain, racing with precision and skill, the pride and joy of the Slytherin team, Oikawa Tooru."  It was mainly girls screaming when the last name was announced.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>No one saw it, but Bokuto had a sour face on the whole time Akaashi was saying the names of </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> Slytherins.</span>
</p><p><b>Sugawara </b><span>- hadn't talked to Daichi for the past few weeks after he saw Sugawara getting harassed by a bunch of lowlife Slytherins.  No matter how long Daichi waited outside the Slytherin tower, no matter how many times he tried to talk to Sugawara in class, Sugawara couldn't do it.  He couldn't face him.</span><span><br/></span><b>Daichi </b><span>- ha</span><span>d </span><span>tried so hard to get some time with Sugawara, but every attempt ha</span><span>d</span> <span>been a failed one</span><span>.  This Quidditch match might be the first time in forever since they've faced each other.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto-san, how come you're not on the Quidditch team</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>  You're very talented yourself, aren't you?"  Bokuto laughed nervously at the question.  He told Akaashi to make some funny announcer commentary to make things more interesting, so maybe it was his fault.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Well, you see</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>" Bokuto's face went pink.  "I </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> on the team, but then every time Gryffindor played Ravenclaw I would get...distracted."  Akaashi had a smug look on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Akaashi </b>
  <span>- of course had been looking for his Amortentia this whole time.  No matter who he asked and who he encountered, everyone claimed they </span>
  <span>hadn't </span>
  <span>seen it.  He really needed to get it back to </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor Takeda and make sure it was in a safe place.  He felt very stupid for losing it.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <b>Bokuto </b>
  <span>- has hated Tendou ever since.  He really hoped Slytherin lost their match today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright!"  Bokuto exclaimed, clapping his hands and speaking into his wand, his and Akaashi's </span>
  <span>were</span>
  <span> charmed so they could use </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span> like mic</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> for the game.  "The teams are getting ready, meeting in the middle.  Coach Ukai!  Hey, hey, hey!  You see me up here, I'm the commentator!! Coach Ukai!!!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Down in the stadium, everyone had adrenaline rushing through their veins, prepared for their first game of the season.  No one looked like they were playing games right now - but everyone had something different on their mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We got this," Hinata said firmly to Kageyama, putting on a face of determination.  In </span>
  <span>response</span>
  <span>, Kageyama leaned down and bumped their foreheads together, closing his eyes so he wouldn't see Hinata turning as red as their team colour.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know we do.  Because we're on the team together."</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Hinata </b>
  <span>- was still struggling with his unrequited crush.  But! </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e told himself </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> if they were to win this match, he would for sure tell Kageyama his feelings, and mentally prepared himself for any sort of rejection.  He had to win this game.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <b>Kageyama </b>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> trained hard with Hinata this whole week.  There was no way he was losing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Akaashi, the teams look promising, hm?"  Bokuto hummed </span>
  <span>amusedly</span>
  <span>, looking down at each side, no one smiling at each other.  "I feel like a war is starting."</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Tsukishima </b>
  <span>- looked up </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> the crowd, trying to find Yamaguchi.  He was curious if he was watching, and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw familiar green hair in the crowd.  Tsukishima gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw when he saw Yamaguchi dressed in red, whipping his head at Tendou and his bright red fucking hair, glaring at him.  If looks could kill, Slytherin would soon have only 6 Quidditch players.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <b>Yamaguchi </b>
  <span>- wore the Gryffindor colours to support his friends.  In the back of his mind</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, he hoped Tsukishima would somehow see his secret, silent support of Slytherin</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>as he planned to clap whenever Slytherin scored, but of course Tsukishima wasn't going to look at him.  Was Tsukishima still mad at him for going to the Slytherin tower?  He wanted to apologize properly...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto-san, is there something about the Gryffindor team that you hope to see?  Anything that you noticed during their practices?"  Akaashi asked as everyone waited for the two teams to line up against each other before the real game started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto hummed, thinking about the different moves the team had practiced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Actually," Bokuto nodded, "there's one I want to see.  Noya-kun has a trick he's been practising a lot!"  Bokuto exclaimed, looking down in the stadium and waved at Nishinoya excitedly, though everyone noticed Nishinoya was much less excited </span>
  <span>than usual </span>
  <span>today.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I won't say much about it, but he calls it</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>" Bokuto paused for dramatic effect.  "Ro-o-oli-i-i-ing....Thu-u-u-unde-e-e-e-er!!"  Bokuto yelled out, clenching his fists as he felt the power that Nishinoya </span>
  <span>felt </span>
  <span>whenever he did the move.  "Trust me.  It's much better when Noya-kun actually does it."</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Asahi </b>
  <span>- looked down in the stadium at Nishinoya, but could only see his back.  The Gryffindor was slouching</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Asahi was pretty sure he saw him sigh.  Ever since their fight, Asahi had been scared to approach Nishinoya again, but at this rate he was more scared they would never talk at all.  So after the game he promised himself he would go up to Nishinoya, puff out his chest, and apologize like a man.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <b>Nishinoya </b>
  <span>- felt like shit.  He hadn't been able to sleep or eat properly lately and had no motivation </span>
  <span>at all </span>
  <span>for this game.  Usually he would look up to see Asahi cheering for him and that would get him pumped in no time.  Today, he just looked at the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, okay, okay, the game is about to start!"  Bokuto announced excitedly, watching Ukai prepare the </span>
  <span>Q</span>
  <span>uaffle and</span>
  <span> walking </span>
  <span>in the middle of the two teams.  "Professor Ukai just needs to go over the standard rules for the first game of the year!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Professor Ukai was </span>
  <span>standing </span>
  <span>between Oikawa and Daichi, everyone else facing each other in the middle.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Alright, mount your brooms!  Now listen up</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> boys.  No killing each other, and as little hospital visits as possible, you hear me?  Or else you're all scrubbing the stadium without your wands.</span>
  
  <span>Got it?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yes</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> sir!"</span>
</p><p><b>Kuroo </b><span>- was pumped for this game.  He couldn't wait to win and have Kenma congratulate him.  He couldn't wait to be praised by Kenma in his passively rude way, and maybe spend a</span> <span>night with him not as Tetsurou, but as Kuroo.</span><span><br/></span><span>When someone called Kuroo’s</span> <span>name suddenly, he turned his head and widened his eyes.  "Sorry, </span><span>C</span><span>oach.  I'll be a sec."</span><span><br/></span><b>Kenma </b><span>- was the one who called him.  He waved his hand, watching as his now</span><span>-</span><span>boyfriend ran over to him. </span><span><br/></span><span>"What's up?"  Kenma looked up at him, trying his best not to smile.  "You forgot something."</span><span><br/></span><span>"I did?"  Suddenly Kenma pulled Kuroo down by his collar, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Kiss for good luck</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kenma leaned into Kuroo's ear, hand still tight around his collar.  "There's more where that came from.  But it only goes to winners.  Alright?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto</span>
  <span>’s</span>
  <span> and Akaashi's jaws dropped watching the scene before them.  From where they sat </span>
  <span>high</span>
  <span> up in the air, of course everyone else on the ground was small.  But they saw it all the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did Kenma just..."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Kiss...Kuroo?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They looked at each other, then back down, watching as Kuroo ran back to the middle, face flushed but more determined than ever.  They could see Kogane patting his back proudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kenma..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>just kissed....Kuroo..." Bokuto was still very shocked.  Then all of a sudden he smashed his fists on the podium, looking at Akaashi with wide eyes.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Kenma</span>
  </em>
  <span> just kissed </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  Akaashi, did you see that?"  Akaashi sighed loudly.  "Akaashi, you saw that too, right?  Kenma just </span>
  <em>
    <span>kissed</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kuroo.   Kuroo was kissed by </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kenma</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  The kiss happened between </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kuroo</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kenma</span>
  </em>
  <span>-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please, calm down, Bokuto-san-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> calm!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Professor Takeda had to actually calm the two down,</span>
  <span> reminding </span>
  <span>them the game couldn't start until they stopped talking.  Bokuto was still fidgeting in his seat in awe of what he just witnessed, but was silenced by Akaashi putting a hand on </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> thigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto-san.  The game is starting."  Everyone's eyes were </span>
  <span>on</span>
  <span> the stadium now, </span>
  <span>C</span>
  <span>oach Ukai having blown the whistle and threw the ball up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Quidditch match started.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"And Daichi has the </span>
  <span>Q</span>
  <span>uaffle, and he's passing it to Kageyama.  Kageyama is racing through the field, flying so fast we can't even see him!  Come on, Kageyama!  He's going, he's going, he's going, making the shot, and-ah!  Tsukishima, nice block!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The game had just started</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and as Bokuto's and Akaashi's job, they commented on everything, describing the </span>
  <span>action </span>
  <span>and different moves.  However, they did notice </span>
  <span>specific</span>
  <span> things about the teams that </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> them pretty confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara has the </span>
  <span>Q</span>
  <span>uaffle..he has it and he's about to score, but Daichi is an outstanding Keeper.  Can he make the goal?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara was zooming through the stadium</span>
  <span> to the </span>
  <span>Gryffindor side.  He could see Daichi, but his eyes focused on the goal posts, whipping the </span>
  <span>Q</span>
  <span>uaffle into </span>
  <span>one as</span>
  <span> Daichi…</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Daichi just moved to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did Daichi just..."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"...Let Sugawara...score?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa, the Slytherin captain, flew over to Sugawara, a bitter look on his face as he glared at him.  "Hey," he hissed.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"You're on this team because you can play, right?"  The question was rhetorical, Sugawara just looking straight ahead as he flew back to their side of the playing field.  "So play.  Why the fuck did that look like an adult letting a baby win a game?  More of this and I'm switching you out, mudblood."</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Iwaizumi </b>
  <span>- still ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't talked to Oikawa properly after his breakdown with the Amortentia.  He was conflicted, confused, and had mixed feelings.  All he wanted was this game to be over and time to think about what he wanted to do  That Amortentia - he didn't want to see it.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <b>Oikawa </b>
  <span>- was moodier and crankier than ever.  He’s been snapping at everyone who crossed his path and wasn't up for anyone's bullshit.  Iwaizumi was the exception</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, </span>
  <span>but</span>
  <span> he</span>
  <span> just</span>
  <span> ignored him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, it's Gryffindor's ball!  Now we're sending it over to Kogane!  Yes, Kogane-ah!  A </span>
  <span>B</span>
  <span>ludger just hit him, sending him out, but good thing our unbeatable beaters are there to-" Bokuto looked around the field, his eyes scanning everywhere.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Where's Noya-kun?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't been able to focus at all, only keeping his eyes on Tendou.  Stupid Tendou and that stupid potion.  He wanted to beat the shit out of Tendou but all he could do was wait for him to make a move, following him around and tailing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's fine!  Tanaka is zooming around, and look at that!  He's hit Goshiki!  Ah, that looks like it'll leave a bruise!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto and Akaashi continued </span>
  <span>their commentary</span>
  <span>, taking turns </span>
  <span>narrating</span>
  <span> the game, occasionally side commenting.  The game was getting close, but </span>
  <span>neither </span>
  <span>Hinata </span>
  <span>nor </span>
  <span>Oikawa were able to </span>
  <span>spot</span>
  <span> the </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>nitch so far.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Gryffindor 70 to Slytherin 70.  Akaashi, I think I'm gonna scream!"  Bokuto screamed, watching in anticipation as the </span>
  <span>Q</span>
  <span>uaffle was thrown around.  "Alright, we've got Iwaizumi beating a </span>
  <span>B</span>
  <span>ludger out of Oikawa's way.  We got the </span>
  <span>Q</span>
  <span>uaffle, going, going, going to-!"  Bokuto slouched in his chair when he saw who caught it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"....Tendou."</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Ushijima</b>
  <span> - was watching Tendou very closely, making sure he</span>
  <span> didn’t </span>
  <span>collapse.  It was the last few days of the full moon, so it didn't take that much </span>
  <span>strength</span>
  <span> from him, but still, Ushijima was worried.  The Amortentia was with him, snug in his robes.  He patted it every few minutes to make sure it never dropped.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <b>Tendou </b>
  <span>- decided to play, seeing as the full moon was ending and he had much more strength.  No way was he about to miss an opportunity to play, especially when Oikawa's been on everyone's ass about practice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tendou has the ball," Bokuto said lazily, no enthusiasm in his voice, but Akaashi didn't comment, just watching as Tendou flew through the field, dodging the Gryffindor Beaters who seemed to be following him this whole time - well, one of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishi...netsu?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou kept flying, getting to the Gryffindor goal post and </span>
  <span>preparing</span>
  <span> to throw the </span>
  <span>Q</span>
  <span>uaffle in.  He </span>
  <span>pulled</span>
  <span> his arm back, about to score his goal.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>"TENDOU!"  Bokuto's scream startled Tendou, causing the </span><span>Q</span><span>uaffle to drop from his hand too early and miss the </span><span>goal</span><span>.  Tendou was not very happy with this.  He whipped around on his broom, flying quickly towards the </span><span>commentators’</span><span> box.  He came right </span><span>up </span><span>in front of</span> <span>them, glaring right at Bokuto.</span></p><p>
  <span>"You did that on purpose!"  Bokuto raised an eyebrow at him, smirking softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, did I?  I didn't notice."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gritting his teeth, Tendou tried so hard to fly away - but that smug look on Bokuto's face</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>It pissed him off, knowing he got to Tendou and made him lose 10 points.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tendou turned around </span>
  <span>and flew </span>
  <span>back to the field, but not before he could hear Bokuto's damn voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's right, Akaashi. Tendou </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>steal your potion."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou </span>
  <span>turned</span>
  <span> around again, his eyes narrowing as he flew right back to Bokuto, this time coming closer so their faces were only inches apart.  Bokuto was on his last nerve and he wasn't taking his shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to, mudblood?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e spat at Bokuto, but this time Bokuto didn't look cheeky.  He looked equally as angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think I'm talking to a thief.  I guess we both know who we're talking to then, right?"  Tendou growled </span>
  <span>and took</span>
  <span> his wand out, pointing it at Bokuto, but </span>
  <span>not before </span>
  <span>Bokuto took his out too, pointing it at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto-san," Akaashi said </span>
  <span>worriedly</span>
  <span>, trying to lower Bokuto's arm</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but he was stiff, not backing down.  "Please.  Calm down."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I told you!"  Bokuto exclaimed, his eyes not leaving Tendou's.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm </span>
  <em>
    <span>completely</span>
  </em>
  <span> calm."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>Ushijima was watching as Tendou</span><span> started</span><span> a fight with Bokuto.  Worried, he started running</span> <span>down from his seat, trying to get to the field.  Since he couldn't fly up to Tendou</span><span>,</span><span> though, </span><span>there was only so much</span><span> he could do on the ground.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Tendou!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e screamed up at him, getting his wand out too in case he needed to deflect </span>
  <span>a spell</span>
  <span> so Tendou wouldn't get hurt.  "Please stop!  It is dangerous!  Tendou!"</span>
</p><p><span>But Tendou wasn't listening.  </span><span>He</span><span> and Bokuto were pointing their wands at each other, Akaashi now taking his</span><span> own </span><span>out too in fear of something happening and needing to protect Bokuto.</span><span><br/></span><span>Bokuto was ready</span><span>,</span><span> though, flicking his wrist and zapping a quick spell at Tendou, which </span><span>he</span><span> deflected.  Ushijima instinctively beamed</span> <span>a spell at them as well,the three of their spells collid</span><span>ed</span><span> together and redirect</span><span>ed</span><span>.  </span><span>They</span><span> redirected right towards-</span></p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa!"  Iwaizumi zoomed toward Oikawa, </span>
  <span>taking his wand out and holding it towards the spell that was now aiming at him.</span>
  <span>  Oikawa gasped, </span>
  <span>unable </span>
  <span>to take his wand out in time </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>watching as Iwaizumi redirected the spell again, </span>
  <span>this time</span>
  <span> in a random direction.  This direction happened to be towards-</span>
</p><p><span>"Asahi-san!"  Nishinoya's senses</span> <span>were back, flying with all his speed</span> <span>towards the Hufflepuff stands.  Taking his wand out, but he wasn't quick enough to deflect it.  He crashed into the stands, trying to protect Asahi </span><span>by </span><span>wrapping </span><span>his arms</span><span> around </span><span>him</span><span>.  The whole stand was hit by the spell, and Nishinoya </span><span>accidentally ended</span><span> up directing his wand out.  But the Hufflepuff stand was still breaking.  That meant that-</span></p><p>
  <span>"Yamaguchi!"  Tsukishima screamed, flying down as he saw Yamaguchi toppling over, all of the Huffepuffs screaming and trying to get down.  Tsukishima's only aim was to </span>
  <span>catch</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi before he fell off completely.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Nishinoya's spell had still come out </span>
  <span>of </span>
  <span>his wand</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  And that spell was about to hit-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hinata!"  Kageyama </span>
  <span>rushed</span>
  <span> flying over when he saw the zap of light about to hit him, pushing him out of the way and taking his wand out to redirect Nishinoya's spell.  He was hesitating though, his arm flinching as Nishinoya's spell hit him, </span>
  <span>un</span>
  <span>able to control where he was redirecting.  </span>
  <span>He ended up</span>
  <span> aiming his wand at-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kuroo!"  Kenma yelled from the Ravenclaw stand</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span>, watching anxiously as </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>light was about to hit Kuroo.  Kenma took his wand out, pointing it down and trying to get a good aim at the spell so he could deflect it.  But Kuroo was smart, dodging the spell completely and letting it pass </span>
  <span>by</span>
  <span> him.  Dodging it, however, didn't mean the spell was over.  It still had to hit something.   Kuroo moving meant now it was about to hit-</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Suga!"  Daichi flew over to Sugawara, planning to take the hit of the spell.  Sugawara's eyes widened as he watched Daichi about to take the spell instead of him, unable to just stay still.  Sugawara took out his wand </span>
  <span>to deflect</span>
  <span> the spell.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>With the amount </span><span>of people with their wands out, the amount of people doing spells, and the amount of people deflecting each other's magic -</span> <span>caused a commotion.  There was a loud bang, a </span><span>lightning-</span><span>like brightness and screams from all directions.</span></p><p>
  <span>It was like a huge explosion that blew up in the middle of the playing field. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone had someone they wanted to protect.  Everyone was trying to protect someone.  Everyone just wanted the person they love</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Amortentia fell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The brightness beamed in the middle.</span>
</p><p><span>Then,</span> <span>as quickly as it escalated, everything went black.</span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Bokuto</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Trees.  So many trees.  Trees everywhere.  And dirt.  In his mouth and hair.  So much dirt and trees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto groaned as he got up, lifting his body from the ground.  It took him a while to process where he was, his vision blurry but clearing up as he looked around.  There</span>
  <span> were </span>
  <span>still just a bunch of trees and dirt and the blue sky - clear with a few clouds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood up, shaking the dirt out of his hair and then spitting it out of his mouth.  Where was this place?  It looked like he was just in the middle of some tree garden.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's when he remembered - the Quidditch match.  Blasting Tendou.  Fighting him for the Amortentia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Amortentia!  He could smell it.  It was near.  Faint, but it had to be somewhere close.  No - it was on him.  </span>
  <span>Bokuto lifted his robes to his nose, sniffing it and surely, it was Akaashi's scent masking all around him.</span>
</p><p><span>It wasn’t </span><span>just Akaashi though, there were other aspects to it.  It wasn't enough to make him dizzy, like when he</span> <span>smelt Amortentia head</span><span>-</span><span>on that one</span> <span>time.  It was Akaashi and maybe some grass?  But he was in </span><span>a</span><span> forest, it could</span><span> just </span><span>be the </span><span>smell</span><span> from that.</span></p><p>
  <span>He could smell Akaashi though.  Akaashi...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Akaashi!"  Bokuto yelled, walking around the forest </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>looking around.  He was in the middle of nowhere, to his knowledge.  Every time he took a step it looked the exact same as the last step </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> all the dumb trees look</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> the same,</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>nothing indicated where he really was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Bokuto turned into an owl.  He flew up and up above the trees </span>
  <span>to search</span>
  <span> around</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but it seemed like he was blasted far from Hogwarts because even the tall tower looked tiny in the distance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kept flying though, hoping to find someone, preferably Akaashi.</span>
</p><p><span>Then he saw one!  </span><span>Lying</span> <span>facedown</span><span> not too far from where Bokuto had landed </span><span>himself</span><span>.  He flew down, turning back into his human form and walk</span><span>ing</span><span> over to see who it was.  By the hair colour he could tell it wasn't Akaashi, but the robes told him </span><span>they were</span><span> a student</span><span>,</span><span> too.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Bokuto called out, going over and shaking the body to see if </span>
  <span>they were </span>
  <span>alive.  </span>
  <span>He</span>
  <span> turned</span>
  <span> them </span>
  <span>over, revealing their face, gasping softly.  Then his face turned a bit disgusted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, you okay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa. </span>
</p><p><span>His eyes were closed, as if he were </span><span>S</span><span>leeping </span><span>B</span><span>eauty or some shit.  Bokuto wanted to leave him </span><span>lying</span><span> there by himself </span><span>so badly,</span> <span>and</span><span> maybe some bear would come and rescue him.</span></p><p>
  <span>But Akaashi wouldn't do that.  Even if they were a Slytherin, especially even if this was Oikawa, Akaashi would still help him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Amortentia on his clothes must be getting to his head</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because he really wanted to leave Oikawa there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa.  Hey man, wake up</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Bokuto shook him again, checking his pulse to make sure it was still working.  After slapping his face a little (a little too hard</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> maybe) Oikawa gasped, his eyes snapping open, sitting up quickly and shocking Bokuto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"  Oikawa looked dazed yet scared, standing up quickly and walking around, completely ignoring Bokuto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!  Iwa-chan!"  Oikawa called out.  Bokuto gritted his teeth, wanting to demand a thank you, but decided that Oikawa had the right idea.  They needed to find other people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Akaashi!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Kuroo!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Hinata!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Noya-kun!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto whipped</span>
  <span> his head </span>
  <span>around to glare at Oikawa.  "Oi.  You got any other fucking friends besides Iwaizumi?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa's head snapped around, glaring back at Bokuto.  Now they were glaring at each other, lasers practically zapping out at each other.  Oikawa huffed, crossing his arms and sticking his chin out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan is the only one I trust to save me."  Bokuto didn't see how that was something to brag about, staring at Oikawa to see if he was serious.  When it seemed Oikawa actually wasn't going to call anyone else, Bokuto clenched his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright.  Look, I know it's just us-""Iwa-chan!"  Oikawa called out again, Bokuto being completely ignored once more.  Oikawa was walking around, still screaming for Iwaizumi, and Bokuto was trailing behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If being an </span>
  <span>Animagus</span>
  <span> wasn't so controversial</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he would've so turned into an owl and</span>
  <span> flown</span>
  <span> the fuck away from here.  But Oikawa was stuck</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>up - </span>
  <em>
    <span>pure</span>
  </em>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>blood.  He would report Bokuto without hesitation probably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa!  We need to stay together!"  They had a better chance of surviving if they stuck together, though Bokuto was starting to believe otherwise.  Oikawa was being completely useless right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa!  Oikawa, come back!  We have to work together-""Iwa-chan!"  Oikawa screamed again, walking around, turning 180 degrees and heading the other direction, right past Bokuto.  "Iwa-chan!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto felt his blood boiling.  Oikawa wasn't being rational, thinking Iwaizumi would just pop up somewhere, but that obviously wasn't the case.</span>
  <span>  Bokuto </span>
  <span>wanted to find Akaashi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too!  But the reality was, they were stuck out here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto was stuck.  Out in the forest.  With Oikawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>shit</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Bokuto was struck </span>
  <span>by </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>realization, whimpering softly.  "No, no, no, no, no."  He sounded like he was about to cry, crouching down and holding his head in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto was stuck.  In the middle of the forest.  With Oikawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alone.  With Oikawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!  No, no, no-Akaashi!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Akaashi!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Akaashi!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto was glaring at Oikawa again, grunting as he stepped towards him.  Oikawa finally looked at him properly, raising an eyebrow and cocking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?"  Bokuto hated his attitude.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Stop yelling for Iwaizumi!  Akaashi probably can't hear me over your goddamn annoying voice!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa gasped, clenching his fists as he glared at Bokuto</span>
  <span>. T</span>
  <span>he two glar</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> at each other </span>
  <span>as if </span>
  <span>they were about to burst into flames </span>
  <span>if they stayed like this for a second longer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Excuse me?"  Oikawa laughed in disbelief.  "Iwa-chan would save me in a heartbeat, okay?  He's probably out looking for me right now!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Oh, is he?"  Bokuto stepped forward</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> coming face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>face with Oikawa.  "And Akaashi's probably looking for me.  In fact, he's probably closer to finding me than Iwaizumi is to finding you."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Oikawa narrowed his eyes even more, stepping forward so the</span>
  <span>y</span>
  <span> were inches apart.  "I know Iwa-chan is close! </span>
  <span>I can smell him, he's close!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now Bokuto was confused.  He stepped back, holding his hands out so Oikawa </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> take a step forward again.  Oikawa seemed confused by Bokuto’s actions, but didn't come closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You </span>
  <em>
    <span>smell </span>
  </em>
  <span>that Iwaizumi is close?"  Oikawa hummed proudly, a cocky smirk on his face.</span>
</p><p><span>"Yup!  Because I love Iwa-chan more than you love Akaashi!"  Bokuto turned red, fuming as he clenched his fists.  First off, no fucking way was that true.  Secondly, Oikawa wasn't thinking straight.  And he needed Oikawa competent</span> <span>if they were going to get out of here.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Listen, Oikawa.  You don't smell Iwaizumi, okay?"  Bokuto held up his arm to Oikawa's face.  "You're smelling me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa stared at him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then burst </span>
  <span>out</span>
  <span> laughing, even getting </span>
  <span>in </span>
  <span>a few claps.  "Good one, Bokuto, but there's no way.  I know what Iwa-chan smells like, alright?  And he doesn't smell like...well, you."  Bokuto felt like Oikawa was biting back an insult.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ignored Oikawa’s arrogance though, shaking his head and groaning.  He needed to calm down and get Oikawa to cooperate with him or else he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> be completely alone.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Again, was that such a bad idea?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can smell Akaashi, okay?"  Bokuto sniffed his arm, though he wasn't sure how that was proving anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi.  Bokuto missed Akaashi.  Bokuto wanted Akaashi right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Actually," Bokuto leaned into Oikawa, the Slytherin backing away but Bokuto quickly grabbed his shoulders and made him stay still.  "You...smell like Akaashi too."  Bokuto furrowed his eyebrows</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then looked up at a confused Oikawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You really smell like Akaashi."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah.  Amortentia.  How it </span>
  <span>got</span>
  <span> on them, he wasn't quite sure.  How they ended up with each other, he didn't know either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smelling Akaashi though was what was keeping him sane.  Keeping him sane and not </span>
  <span>punching</span>
  <span> Oikawa in the face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We need to stay together, alright?"  Bokuto huffed, letting go of Oikawa and pushing him lightly so they had distance between them.  He wasn't exactly sure where they were, or how long it would take to fucking walk to Hogwarts, but </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> was their best option.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto wanted to be an owl.  So badly, he wanted to turn into an owl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's go</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Bokuto motioned for Oikawa to follow him, knowing the direction he saw Hogwarts </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> when he was flying around - why did he have to find Oikawa of all people</span>
  <span>? </span>
  <span>- so he knew where they were going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Before I actually leave you here by yourself."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto realized very quickly how much he hated walking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe because he flew around a lot, whether in owl form or on his broom, but he really hated walking.  And they’ve been walking for hours!  The only person who seemed to hate walking more than he did was Oikawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can we take a break?"  Oikawa whined beside him, not even waiting for a reply before he fell on the ground, sitting on the dirt.  Bokuto didn't complain,sitting next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, I really wish I had my wand."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two learned very quickly that their wands probably landed somewhere in the middle of the forest as well</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and they wouldn't be able to get them back for a while.  In fact, they would most likely just have to buy new ones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm thirsty," Oikawa groaned, hitting his head on his knees.  "I want Iwa-chan to come find me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was probably the thousandth time Oikawa ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> mentioned Iwaizumi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and even though Bokuto loved Akaashi, Oikawa seemed a little too obsessed for his </span>
  <span>own good</span>
  <span>.  Bokuto wanted to see Akaashi because he missed him, but Oikawa looked like he wanted to see Iwaizumi to make sure he wasn't with someone else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look, Iwaizumi is probably fine," Bokuto tried to comfort him.  "He's smart.  Maybe he's still at Hogwarts."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa didn't seem to like this statement, narrowing his eyes at Bokuto.  "He's looking for me," he said firmly, making Bokuto</span>
  <span> freeze</span>
  <span> in fear and confusion.  "I know he is."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The </span>
  <span>confidence was enough to convince Bokuto, but there was still something he hated about the way Oikawa talked - there was still a lot he hated about Oikawa</span>
  <span>, actually </span>
  <span>- and it made him uneasy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, it's not like he'll forget you or something."  It was supposed to be a joke </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span> Bokuto even laughed.  "What, are you scared he'll leave you for some other girl?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa got up, kicking dirt at Bokuto and stomping off, his fists clenching </span>
  <span>until</span>
  <span> his knuckles were white and his face and neck turn</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> red.  Bokuto wasn't expecting such a </span>
  <span>bad </span>
  <span>overreaction, but then again it was Oikawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything was an overreaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait, Oikawa!"  Bokuto called, getting up and following him, trying to stay together.  Oikawa probably had no idea where he was going, but it seemed the comment about Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> really pissed him off.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Oops?</span>
</p><p><span>"Oikawa, wait for me," Bokuto called again, but Oikawa kept walking, stomping really, not looking</span> <span>at Bokuto.  Bokuto followed him though, </span><span>to make</span><span> sure they didn't separate. </span></p><p>
  <span>"Hey!  I'm sorry, I was just kidding, alright</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>  Don't have to be such a fucking priss about it."  This time Oikawa turned around.  Right when Bokuto was behind him, his face red and lips pursed.  Bokuto stopped walking, </span>
  <span>frozen</span>
  <span> as Oikawa </span>
  <span>came</span>
  <span> face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>face with him, inches apart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The only reason I haven't strangled you yet is because you smell like Iwa-chan," Oikawa spat at him, push</span>
  <span>ing his finger into</span>
  <span> Bokuto's chest.  "Be thankful for that fucking Amortentia on your clothes or else I would've left you hours ago!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto gaped at </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> words, </span>
  <span>un</span>
  <span>able to believe what he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> just heard.  "Wh-What?!"  His eyes widened, </span>
  <span>and he took </span>
  <span>his own finger and push</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> Oikawa's chest this time, </span>
  <span>shocking him</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"First off," Bokuto growled at him.  "That's my line.  And second, if it weren't for me you would've been sitting </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> a tree, waiting for some knight in shining armor to come rescue you!  You wouldn't have walked a damn foot if it weren’t for me!"  Bokuto burst, watching as Oikawa shrank.  He couldn't take it - Oikawa and his damn attitude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"'Iwa-chan, Iwa-chan, Iwa-chan.</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>  Do you know any other words?!  At least when I call Akaashi I'm calling my boyfriend!  Not some dumb crush that probably isn't looking for me right now!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O</span>
  <span>i</span>
  <span>kawa was angry again, completely ignoring Bokuto’s words from before and focusing on what Bokuto just said.  His finger turned into his whole hand </span>
  <span>as he shoved </span>
  <span>Bokuto back, but Bokuto didn't fall.  He was bigger than Oikawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan is looking for me!  He is, I know it-""And how exactly, huh?"  Bokuto screamed back, so frustrated and tired.  "How do you know he's looking for you?  It's been hours!  How do you fucking know?!  We've been out here for god knows how long, and we haven't found anyone else!  How the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> do you know?  Please tell me, how do you fucking know, Oikawa?!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa's eyes widened, watching as Bokuto fumed at him.  Was he about to cry?  Bokuto backed down, realizing how he must've sounded just now.  They were supposed to be working together, not fighting.  He took a deep breath, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Listen, Oikawa, I'm sor-"</span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>'Oh, look at me,'" Oikawa cut him off.  Bokuto was about to yell at him again, but he noticed Oikawa's voice was different - it was cracking, on the verge of tears.</span>
</p><p><span>"'I'm a mudblood with a boyfriend </span><span>who</span><span> loves me so fucking much!  I'm better than poor, dumb Oikawa who can't even get over an unrequited crush.  What a </span><em><span>great</span></em><span> life I'm living.'"  Oikawa was hurting.  Bokuto knew by the sound of his voice,</span> <span>he knew Oikawa didn't need a fight right now.</span><span><br/></span><span>But he couldn't help it.</span></p><p>
  <span>"'Oh, look at me.  I'm a pure blooded wizard with parents who love me enough to find me out </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> the wild!  I don't need to rely on myself to find a way out, because someone else will find me!'"  Bokuto mocked back, getting more upset with every word that came out of his mouth.  </span>
</p><p><span>The two of them</span><span> looked at each other, processing what they</span> <span>just said.  They didn't speak for a good minute or two, just watching as the other was calming down.  It wasn't what they were expecting.</span></p><p>
  <span>It seemed that both of them really needed to cool off.  They were both probably not thinking straight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But they both knew they meant what they said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's just...keep walking," Oikawa said this time, Bokuto nodding in agreement as he turned away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Night came</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and it seemed that the two were nowhere near Hogwarts yet.  But they made progress</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and that was enough.  Maybe they were </span>
  <span>more similar</span>
  <span> than Bokuto thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to just turn into an owl</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> for fuck</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>s sake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Boku-chan-""I told you not to call me that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn't talk to each other after </span>
  <span>their</span>
  <span> fight, but Oikawa seemed a lot nicer after it.  Bokuto didn't mind, but when he realized Oikawa was probably just </span>
  <span>being</span>
  <span> nice because Bokuto smelt like Iwaizumi, he didn't get his hopes up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If we cuddle, it won't be as cold."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto was very tempted to close his eyes and pretend Oikawa was Akaashi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since there wasn't much the two could do, they </span>
  <span>had to</span>
  <span> sleep on the dirt, cold and slightly damp, praying that no dangerous animal would eat them.  If that were the case</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, Bokuto wouldn't hesitate </span>
  <span>to turn</span>
  <span> into an owl and</span>
  <span> fly</span>
  <span> away while Oikawa’s head was eaten by </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> shark or something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't touch me, Oikawa."  Bokuto could practically see Oikawa pouting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fine.  Freeze to death for all I care," Oikawa whimpered pettily, turning so that his back was to Bokuto.  Bokuto just sighed, looking up at the sky, his hands behind his head.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It was a full moon.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Bokuto heard a howl in the distance and turned to see if Oikawa heard it too, but he felt like he shouldn't scare Oikawa more </span>
  <span>than necessary</span>
  <span>, especially considering all that’s happened</span>
  <span>.  He was already on thin ice, pissing Oikawa off probably every second of the time they were been together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know Iwa-chan is looking for me," Oikawa mumbled softly, loud enough for Bokuto to hear.  "I know it. I know him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto didn't know how to respond for a while, just watching the stars </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>connecting the dots.  He didn't know </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> constellations by heart, but Akaashi did.  Could Akaashi see the stars from where he was right now?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <span>I think so</span>
  <span>," Bokuto ended up saying.  "But he's probably looking for everyone else</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too."  At this, Oikawa turned</span>
  <span> to face</span>
  <span> Bokuto again.  The light from the moon let Bokuto see Oikawa's glar</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span>, making him shiver but not from the cold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's that supposed to mean?"  Bokuto still didn't like Oikawa's tone, finding it extremely arrogant and annoying.  But he just shrugged, trying to </span>
  <span>form</span>
  <span> a constellation from memory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto really missed Akaashi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I dunno.  Iwaizumi...sort of remind me of Akaashi."  He wasn't sure, but he felt he saw Oikawa stiffen.  "Not personality</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>wise!  Well, I guess the straight face is pretty similar, but...I don't know.  I guess the smartness he has.  Akaashi in this situation, I feel like whether it's me or Kuroo or Kenma, he would try to find whoever just to make sure everyone was safe.  Not just me," Bokuto said</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>Oikawa's body relaxed, </span>
  <span>but </span>
  <span>still </span>
  <span>kept</span>
  <span> his eyes on Bokuto.  This time his stare didn't make Bokuto uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi seems like that sort of person</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  He might prioritize you, but at the end of the day there are other people in this world.  You might be number one, but there's still number two and number three and number four - all important numbers.  Just because you're number one doesn't make you better, it just makes you first."  </span>
  <span>At this point,</span>
  <span> Bokuto didn't even know what he was talking about.  Just kept rambling on and on and on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I went to muggle school before Hogwarts, you know.  Muggles need answers to everything, explanations for things that are unexplained.  They taught me the rain cycle - evaporation, condensation and precipitation.  I memorized it and I could draw it, but it didn't make sense to me at all."  Bokuto remembered drawing the clouds with his mom and making fun of his dad for not being able to draw raindrops.  Could they see the stars from where they were?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I knew the rain cycle, but I didn't understand it</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Bokuto finally looked at Oikawa, who had his eyes closed now, but Bokuto had a strong feeling he was listening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just because you know doesn't mean you understand."</span>
</p><p><span>Oikawa didn't react</span><span>,</span><span> and Bokuto didn't expect him to.  So Bokuto closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, the cold breeze hitting his face and chilling his whole body.  The scent of Akaashi was in the air, making him</span> <span>calm and warm inside.</span></p><p>
  <span>Bokuto missed Akaashi.  So much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Goodnight, Oikawa."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Night, Bokuto."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Oikawa</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Oikawa didn't know if Iwaizumi was looking for him.  He actually really did not have a fucking clue.  Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if Iwaizumi took this chance to finally let Oikawa go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then who else would find him here in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees and a loud Gryffindor</span>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto," Oikawa whispered, shaking Bokuto lightly, trying to wake him up.  He smelled like Iwaizumi, and god did it mess with his head.  He wanted to crush Bokuto in a hug right now and sniff him until he was emotionally stable - who knew how long that would take?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto," he tried again, now getting a soft groan in response.  He shook Bokuto a little harder and raised his voice a bit.  "Boku-chan.  Wake up."  At this, Bokuto actually opened his eyes a crack, looking at Oikawa and then closing his eyes again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fuck off."  Oikawa bit his tongue, then smacked Bokuto on the head hard, actually getting a proper reaction.  Bokuto sat up quickly, gasping and then glaring at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The fuck was that for?""For not waking up!"  They were glaring at each other again, which Oikawa noticed they</span>
  <span>’d been</span>
  <span> doing a lot of, but that wasn't the problem right now.  Oikawa needed Bokuto awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?"  Bokuto asked, groaning, rubbing his eyes</span>
  <span> to wake </span>
  <span>up.  "You wanna start walking now?"  It was morning, the sun shining, the sky so very blue.  It was a beautiful day for them to walk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I have to pee."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The statement must have thrown Bokuto off a bit, a confused look on his face as he looked at Oikawa, furrowing his eyebrows.  He didn't have to look so disgusted, it was the body’s natural process.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Bokuto said slowly.  "Go pee</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then."  Oikawa whined loudly, shaking his head, turning red.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's embarrassing.  We're in public."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto's jaw dropped</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Oikawa </span>
  <span>didn’t understand</span>
  <span> why until Bokuto suddenly stood up, brushing the dirt </span>
  <span>from</span>
  <span> his hands and robes.  He started walking, </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>Oikawa follow</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> quickly, whining even louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where are you going?""I don't fucking know anymore!  I can't take it!  I can't take </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was why Oikawa preferred Iwaizumi over anyone else.  Iwaizumi could take Oikawa.  Iwaizumi could take Oikawa anywhere, anytime, and Oikawa would have definitely</span>
  <span> gone</span>
  <span> with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait, Bokuto!  I really have to go-""Then go!  We're in the-" Bokuto stopped walking, letting out a scream in frustration.  "We're in the middle of a goddamn forest!  What do you want?  A personal toilet?  Soaps in the shape of seashells?  What do you want me to do?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa's eyes widened, smiling along with it and taking Bokuto's hand.  "So you'll do something for me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>So now Oikawa was facing a tree </span><span>while</span><span> Bokuto turned away, </span><span>standing</span><span> right behind Oikawa</span> <span>for </span><span>“</span><span>protection.</span><span>”</span><span>  What if someone saw him peeing?  That mean</span><span>t</span><span> they might see his dick!  Only Iwaizumi was allowed to see those parts of him.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I'm getting shy..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Oikawa whined, and he was sure he heard Bokuto</span>
  <span> sigh</span>
  <span> loudly again.  "It's not coming out.""Then make it come out!"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every time Bokuto yelled at him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he couldn't help but flinch.  The way he yelled wasn't affectionate like Iwaizumi - Bokuto actually sounded angry at Oikawa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not hearing any pissing!""That's because you're here!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto turned around so he was facing Oikawa, then he pushed him right against the tree</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Oikawa </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> startled, gasping and holding his hand out to support himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sudden shove seemed to do something though, probably out of shock, because now his bladder was actually emptying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shit-wait!  Wait, I'm doing it!  I'm peeing!"  Oikawa exclaimed, still holding the tree for support and peeing on the ground.  He couldn't hear Bokuto sighing or anything, so he took it as a good sign.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"..and....there!  Done!"  Oikawa said excitedly, covering up again and turning around, smiling proudly.  Bokuto was pursing his lips - it looked like he was holding in a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good job," Bokuto mumbled, holding up a thumbs</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>up, making Oikawa smile.  Iwaizumi probably </span>
  <span>have been</span>
  <span> proud of him </span>
  <span>too</span>
  <span>!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's keep walking," Bokuto sighed, turning around and heading forward.  Oikawa wasn't sure how Bokuto could choose a direction since all directions looked the same, but Bokuto seemed to have a better idea than him, so he didn't say anything as they walked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked.  And walked and walked and walked and Oikawa was sure his legs were about to break off with how long they</span>
  <span>’d been</span>
  <span> walking.</span>
</p><p><span>"Boku-chan-""I said</span> <span>not to call me that!"  Oikawa dropped </span><span>onto</span><span> the ground again with a loud thud and a groan.  Bokuto followed soon after</span><span>wards</span><span> right beside </span><span>him</span><span>, sighing softly.  He was pretty sure he heard Bokuto panting as well.</span></p><p>
  <span>"This isn't good</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>" Bokuto groaned, putting his head in his hands.  "At this rate it'll take weeks before we hit Hogwarts.  I'm so fucking hungry!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa didn't know why, but that didn't </span>
  <span>reassure </span>
  <span>him at all.  With the </span>
  <span>number</span>
  <span> of times he pissed </span>
  <span>Bokuto</span>
  <span> off, he wouldn't be surprised if he tried eating </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  And Oikawa was very confident he would make a tasty meal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I miss Iwa-chan..."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I miss Akaashi..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa noticed that Bokuto must like Akaashi a lot if he talked about Akaashi as much as Oikawa talked about Iwaizumi.  At least they could bond over that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only difference </span>
  <span>was </span>
  <span>that Bokuto was actually dating Akaashi - Oikawa ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't even </span>
  <span>graduated</span>
  <span> the friend stage yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What would Iwa-chan do..."  Oikawa mumbled to himself, trying to think of Iwaizumi in this situation.  Was he in the middle of nowhere</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too?  Was he with someone else right now?  What would he be doing?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I bet Iwa-chan would've found Hogwarts by now</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Oikawa looked dejected, </span>
  <span>beaten </span>
  <span>down and tired.  And he was.  Oh god, he was.  So hungry and so thirsty.  So cold</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but stupid Bokuto wouldn't cuddle him last night.  All he could do now was whimper and sulk, hoping </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> make it out alive.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Of course he would make it out alive.  He had to!  Or else Iwaizumi would marry someone else - ew.</span>
</p><p><span>"Come on."  It was Bokuto who said it, standing up and holding out </span><span>his</span><span> hand for Oikawa to take.  Oikawa looked up at him, a bit confused,</span> <span>raising his eyebrows, but Bokuto wasn't looking at him.</span></p><p>
  <span>"If we keep going we might be able to see Hogwarts soon.  Even if </span>
  <span>they’re</span>
  <span> small steps, let's..." Bokuto was starting to mumble.  "Let's take them together.  So don't look like you've given up, alright?  We're winning this fight."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa brightened up, smiling at Bokuto and nodding, taking his hand so that he could be hoisted up.  His encouraging words sort of reminded him of Iwaizumi's, just that they didn't make his heart flutter.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It</span>
  <span> did make him more determined</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright!  Boku-chan and I-""I told you not to call me that-"“-are going to win this fight!  We'll find Iwa-chan first!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Hey!  And Akaashi!  Hey, and Akaashi too!  Say</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> '</span>
  <span>A</span>
  <span>nd Akaashi too!</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Akaashi!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Akaashi!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Akaashi!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had to </span>
  <span>have been</span>
  <span> another few hours of this, </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> yelling their names and walking.  The sun was high, meaning that it was the middle of the day.  It wasn't hot exactly, but after walking for so long Oikawa felt like he was about to faint.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto," he panted, finding a rock to sit on.  Bokuto followed, sitting on the rock in front of him.  It seemed Bokuto was starting to hate walking as much as Oikawa did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are we closer to Hogwarts now?"  They had to be.  They'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been walking for so long, there was no way they weren't at least </span>
  <span>halfway</span>
  <span>.  In fact, why weren't they seeing the tower now?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm...not sure..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Oikawa wanted to scream.  He wanted to yell and shout and tell Bokuto he had to know, but the thing was, Oikawa didn't know either.  He didn't know where they were, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> he didn't know what to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he was as incompetent as people said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan...isn't looking for me..." Oikawa mumbled softly, closing his eyes and cupping his face, resting his elbows on his thighs.  His gaze was focus</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> on the ground, unable to lift anything anymore.  Not even his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's probably celebrating his 'Oikawa-free' days now..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>stupid Iwa-chan.  So mean."  He could </span>
  <span>tell</span>
  <span> Bokuto </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> trying to say something, but it was always hard to comfort a broken heart, especially when you barely knew the person.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Especially when you hated the person, and something </span>
  <span>told </span>
  <span>Oikawa that Bokuto hated him.</span>
</p><p><span>Till this </span><span>day, Oikawa ha</span><span>d</span><span>n't been able to focus on anyone else but Iwaizumi.  He used to think it was the two of them, hand in hand, facing the world.  But if he</span><span>’d</span><span> learned anything these past 24 hours, it was that that wasn't the case.  </span><span><br/></span><span>Oikawa and Iwaizumi would both face different people in life, and Oikawa had to live with that.  Oikawa</span> <span>had to understand that his life doesn't, shouldn't, revolve around Iwaizumi - and Iwaizumi's probably doesn't revolve around Oikawa.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa-""It's fine, Bokuto.  I'm used to it," Oikawa sighed.  If he was going to die, he might as well die saying something real.  "I know Iwa-chan wasn't going to look for me.  I thought...I thought he would think I was too stupid to find my way back, but in reality he was the only one who thought I could do something.  Iwa-chan is probably the only one who would believe I could get out of this on my own, but if I'm being honest, I have no idea why he would think that."  Oikawa laughed bitterly, looking up at the sky now.  Was he about to cry?  It sure felt like it even though there were no tears falling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're right, Bokuto.  I know Iwa-chan, but I don't understand </span>
  <span>jack shit </span>
  <span>about him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was another silence, but it didn't kill Oikawa this time.  He was actually grateful for it.  If Bokuto were to comment on his little rant - Bokuto, who had a loving boyfriend and was showered with affection by him all the time - he wouldn't know how to react.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anyway," Oikawa smiled - it was fake, but he still smiled - at Bokuto, standing up and waiting for Bokuto to follow.  He could tell Bokuto was confused</span>
  <span> about his </span>
  <span>sudden change in attitude.  Oikawa going from a depressed state one second </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>smiling brightly the next.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Perhaps Oikawa didn't understand himself</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We should start going now.  I'm starving, I could eat a whole-" Behind Bokuto, something glimmered in the light.  Shiny and bright, Oikawa looked closer, walking past Bokuto.</span>
</p><p><span>"Oikawa?"  But Oikawa</span> <span>was walking closer to it.  The shine got brighter the closer he walked, bigger even</span><span>, u</span><span>ntil he finally saw what it was</span><span>. H</span><span>e walk</span><span>ed</span><span> faster, Bokuto following behind.</span></p><p>
  <span>It was a full</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>length mirror.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not just any mirror</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  Oikawa looked up at random letters, staring straight at his reflection - still looking pretty hot for a whole day in the forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The mirror of Erised,"  Bokuto gasped.  "I-I thought they got rid of it!  After a bunch of students went crazy from looking at it for too long..." Oikawa could see through the mirror that Bokuto was looking around, probably trying to find something else</span>
  <span> to indicate </span>
  <span>they were close to Hogwarts.  Oikawa was still just looking in the mirror</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa, I don't think we're just in the forest," Bokuto gulped, looking back at Oikawa through the mirror.  "I think we're in the Forbidden Forest.  I think-I think we need to get out of here as soon as possible - or else we really might not make it."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The mirror of Erised showed your inner</span>
  <span>most</span>
  <span> desire looking into it.  What </span>
  <span>you</span>
  <span> desir</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>more than anything </span>
  <span>in the world</span>
  <span>, right at that moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Oikawa knew exactly what he desired</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> deep in his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"  Oikawa smiled, laughing as he saw Iwaizumi in the mirror with him, Bokuto gone from the picture.  Was Iwaizumi smiling as well?  Even if it was</span>
  <span> just </span>
  <span>a little, it made his heart flutter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa!"  Bokuto's voice interrupted his scene</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and he could feel Bokuto's hand on his shoulder.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But he could also feel Iwaizumi...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan..." It was nice.  Iwaizumi kissed him on the cheek, then on his forehead.  Then he </span>
  <span>made</span>
  <span> his way to Oikawa's lips.  Oikawa wanted to kiss him so badly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa!"  Bokuto screamed again, tightening his grip on Oikawa's shoulder.  "That's not Iwaizumi, okay?  That's just an illusion!  He's not here.  He's not with us</span>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi wasn't here.  He wasn't by Oikawa's side.  Oikawa wanted him to be, oh so very badly, so badly his heart was crying out his name</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> yet no one seemed to hear.  Oikawa wanted him here, holding him like this, kissing every inch of his body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that wasn't Iwaizumi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!  Stop!"  Oikawa pushed Iwaizumi away, covering his face.  He couldn't look at Iwaizumi as he was rejecting him.  He couldn't watch himself push Iwaizumi away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop, Iwa-chan!"  But Iwaizumi came closer.  Oikawa could swear he felt Iwaizumi's arms around him - so warm...so safe.  Oikawa and Iwaizumi together.  It was what he wanted most, what he wanted right now.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>No. It was what he wanted forever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa, come on!"  Bokuto tried again to pull him from the mirror, but Oikawa wouldn't move.  "Oikawa, that's not the real Iwaizumi, okay</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>  It just looks like him</span>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>   Iwaizumi is probably waiting for you, alright?  He's waiting for you and he's worried.  So snap out of it!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was waiting for him.  Iwaizumi was worried.  This wasn't Iwaizumi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I said stop it!  I hate it!  I hate it, don't touch me!"  Oikawa wasn't sure if he was talking to Bokuto or fake Iwaizumi, but it didn't matter.  He managed to shake off both of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi came back</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  He had his hands wrapped around Oikawa's waist, in a way Oikawa could only dream of.  It was breaking his heart because he knew </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> was fake, but it felt so good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a brief moment, Oikawa looked at him.  Not through the mirror, but actually beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it wasn't Iwaizumi.  It was Bokuto. Iwaizumi really wasn't there.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi wasn't there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop it, Iwaizumi!</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pushed Bokuto, </span>
  <span>but also managed to push himself away from the mirror, both of them falling on the ground.  Without realizing it, he was crying.  Crying so much, tears streaming out his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he finally screamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"  His voice crack</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> as he cried, a few birds flew from their trees.  Bokuto was watching him, he could feel it.  So he covered his face.  His red, wet, shameful face.  A face he wasn't scared of showing Iwaizumi, but was terrified of showing the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan," </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e cried more, holding his head in his hands.  He could feel Bokuto stroking his back, like he was comforting him, but Oikawa almost didn't feel anything.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He just pushed Iwaizumi away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi wasn't there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e rubbed his eyes as he sobbed.  He was lost, scared and sad.  So sad.  Bokuto was trying to calm him down, but Oikawa needed a moment.  He needed </span>
  <span>a lot </span>
  <span>of moments, actually.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Oikawa needed Iwaizumi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Iwaizumi wasn't there.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They were walking again</span>
  <span>. It was </span>
  <span>probably around 4 or 5 PM.  Bokuto ended up waiting out Oikawa's </span>
  <span>breakdown</span>
  <span>, letting him cry and cry and call out Iwaizumi's name as much as he wanted.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Oikawa was sort of grateful.  He was stuck with someone else who was helplessly in love.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto," Oikawa said soft</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span>, Bokuto humming in response, letting Oikawa know he was listening.  "How do you...'understand' Akaashi?"  The question must have shocked Bokuto</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because it took him a while to respond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know, I guess I listen to him?  Ask him questions, </span>
  <span>about </span>
  <span>how he's feeling and stuff.  Learn more about him."  Oikawa just sighed.  He felt like he knew Iwaizumi pretty well - or he </span>
  <span>thought </span>
  <span>did</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> at least - so that wasn't much help.  </span>
  <span>He and </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi were at a point in their lives where they didn't ask each other questions anymore - they just knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How did you and Akaashi get together?"  This question made Bokuto</span>
  <span> smile </span>
  <span>brightly.</span>
</p><p><span>"Well, Akaashi confessed to me first</span><span>, </span><span>actually</span><span>.</span><span>" </span><span>H</span><span>e laughed embarrassed</span><span>ly</span><span>, but Oikawa </span><span>could tell</span> <span>he</span><span> found pride in </span><span>it</span><span>.  "But I couldn't say yes.  You see, Akaashi's parents are important to the wizarding world while mine are...well, they don't even like the word 'magic.</span><span>’</span><span>  I didn't want Akaashi </span><span>to get</span><span> dragged into that, so I had to reject </span><span>him</span><span>."  Bokuto's tone was sad </span><span>-</span><span> Oikawa could almost feel the pain.  He wished that were </span><span>the </span><span>case </span><span>for him</span><span>.</span></p><p>
  <span>"After a while though, I realized how sincere </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> feelings were.  They were so pure and so...so refreshing.  Being with him...I feel like a better person every day."  Bokuto's smile was incredibly bright.  Now </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> really was bragging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Every time I see Akaashi, I love him more and more!  It's like I'm falling in love again, only harder."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa wanted to be mad at him.  He wanted to</span>
  <span> knock Bokuto out </span>
  <span>to let him know what it fe</span>
  <span>lt</span>
  <span> like to be alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How could he</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though?  When Bokuto looked like that talking about Akaashi, it just wasn't fair.  To have such genuine feelings - what was the difference between him and Oikawa besides the fact that Bokuto and Akaashi were officially together?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How different were </span>
  <span>he and </span>
  <span>Bokuto</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> really?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm jealous," Oikawa said softly.  "That you can say something so proudly."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto fell silent and Oikawa</span>
  <span> followed</span>
  <span> soon after</span>
  <span>wards as they walked</span>
  <span> together in the Forbidden Forest, still unable to see Hogwarts.  And that's when </span>
  <span>lightning</span>
  <span> struck.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Literal </span>
  <span>lightning</span>
  <span>.  In the sky, despite it being a clear day with no indication of rain or </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> storm - </span>
  <span>lightning</span>
  <span>.  Bright, bolts everywhere, thunder roaring through the forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then it </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span>...disappeared.  Just like that,</span>
  <span> it</span>
  <span> vanished </span>
  <span>from</span>
  <span> the air</span>
  <span>, l</span>
  <span>ike it </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>never happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What was tha-"</span>
</p><p><span>"Noya-kun!"  Bokuto all of a sudden looked anxious yet excited, taking Oikawa's hand and </span><span>tugging</span><span> him </span><span>in</span><span> a completely </span><span>different</span><span> direction.  In the direction the </span><span>lightning</span> <span>struck</span><span>, to be exact.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Noya-kun, that was-that was Nishinoya!  He's in the Forbidden Forest too!"  Bokuto exclaimed, walking faster and faster</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> now actually running.  Oikawa had to run </span>
  <span>to keep up</span>
  <span> with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait-" Oikawa panted, running </span>
  <span>along</span>
  <span>side Bokuto.  "How-How do you know that's-that's Nishinoya?"  Oikawa gulped, but he was so dehydrated that he couldn't swallow.  He really needed water and food right about now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Rolling Thunder!"  Bokuto said</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> as if</span>
  <span> that</span>
  <span> answered the question.  Oikawa was still a little lost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Rolling Thunder!  It's Noya-kun's spell </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>he made it for the Quidditch game!  He's here!  He's in the forest - that means there has to be others</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too!"  Bokuto said excitedly, and even though Oikawa didn't know Nishinoya well - maybe at all</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> actually - he was running with excitement too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're gonna get out of here!"  Bokuto screamed, his voice echoing through the trees, the birds flying from the noise and the ground shaking beneath them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though he was tired, even though his legs were about to give out, even though he wanted to drop right then and there, Oikawa kept running.  Running with Bokuto beside him, running as fast as he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I</span>
  <span>f there was </span>
  <span>even</span>
  <span> the slightest chance that Iwaizumi was at the end waiting for him </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> he would run as far and as long as it </span>
  <span>took</span>
  <span>.  He would run to the ends of the </span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span>arth if it meant he could be with Iwaizumi again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa would survive this for Iwaizumi and return to him safely - and maybe, just maybe, he could understand him a little more.  </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Hinata</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Hinata was stuck in a tree.  He was not having fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His small body was dangling off a thick branch</span>
  <span> as he lay</span>
  <span> on his stomach, his arms and hands just swinging.  He was very high up, so high up he was certain he was about to be sick.  The ground was too far away for him to jump</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and he never </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>to climb down a tree this tall before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Help!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e screamed, his voice echoing </span>
  <span>through</span>
  <span> the forest.  How did he even end up here?  He</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> opened his eyes from what seemed like a deep sleep, and </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>here he was, dangling off a tree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Help!  He screamed again, but he was pretty sure no one was listening.  "Help!"  This wasn't fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kageyama!"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calling Kageyama's name wouldn't do anything, but it made Hinata feel a lot better.  With his luck</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, a bear would find him before Kageyama did - actually, he wasn't quite sure which would be better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Man, stupid dumb tree!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e grunted</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> kicking his legs, but that just made the tree shake.  Oh</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> hell no.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey!  Hey, you okay up there?"  The sudden voice came from the ground, but Hinata wasn't able to see who it was.  The voice sounded slightly familiar</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  Maybe another student?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, I'm stuck!"  Hinata screamed back.  "I don't know if you can help me."  There was some walking on the ground, but Hinata still couldn't see who it was or where they were.  All he knew was that they were around the tree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can see you!"  </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>he voice called back to him.  "Jump!  I'll catch you."  Hinata was silent for a few seconds, looking down from the height of the tree and just how far the jump would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's fine!  I'll stay up here!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The steps stopped and Hinata thought they left, and he wasn't sure </span>
  <span>which</span>
  <span> was worse.  He did want help, but he didn't want anyone to see him in this position.  It was embarrassing, dangling </span>
  <span>from </span>
  <span>a tree.  He could probably get down by himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then the tree started shaking.  There </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>different thump sounds getting louder and louder</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and soon Hinata could hear breathing that wasn't his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This guy was climbing the tree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wa-Wait!  Wait, wait, wait!"  Hinata screamed, not liking how much the tree was shaking, holding onto the branch tighter.  It burned his skin, but he didn't care - he wasn't going to die falling out of a tree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop!  Hold up, just wait a second!"  But then he saw another person in front of him, successfully climbing to the top of the tree.  Hinata's eyes widened when he actually came face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>face with another student.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san?""Yo."  Iwaizumi inspect</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> his position</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then nodded.  "Okay, take my hand.  We can climb down together."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mere suggestion made Hinata want to both laugh and cry.  There was no way he was climbing down this damn tree, not from 60 or 70 feet in the air.  Flying was different than this.  There was no magic involved when you climbed a tree!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, no, no, no," Hinata laughed nervously, hugging the tree branch tighter and shaking his head.  "No!  I'm not climbing down.  Both of us are too heavy-""It's fine.  You're pretty small, so it won’t be a big effect."  Hinata wanted to say something back when Iwaizumi commented on his size, but he thought that maybe now wasn't the time.  He shook his head again, imagining he was somewhere else.  His dorm with Kageyama - safe and sound.  He could practically smell Kageyama.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata screamed when he felt Iwaizumi grabbing the back of his clothes, shaking him off the tree branch.  His eyes snapped </span>
  <span>open</span>
  <span> and he started squirming, trying to get away from his grip</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but Iwaizumi seemed to have a firm hold on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stay still or else you really will fall," Iwaizumi warned, and that was enough for Hinata to stop.  Iwaizumi put Hinata over his shoulder, holding him by his back as he started climbing down the tree, carrying Hinata all the way down.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>How humiliating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Hinata mumbled </span>
  <span>when they </span>
  <span>managed to get all the way down,</span>
  <span> taking a step away from Iwaizumi so they had some distance.  Usually he would be pretty impressed, but right now he was more embarrassed.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you know where we are?"  Hinata asked, getting a bit more frantic when he realized that Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>just had to pull him out of a tree.  Why was Hinata in a tree anyway?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think we landed in the Forbidden Forest," Iwaizumi told him, looking off into the distance </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> pointing, but Hinata wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking at.  He squinted though, pretending to know what Iwaizumi was pointing to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That way's </span>
  <span>n</span>
  <span>orth.  We can just go that way until we hit somewhere.  Even if it's not Hogwarts, it's something," Iwaizumi explained, making Hinata nod since he seemed to have a better plan than Hinata’s - which was just to wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How did we get here?"  Hinata mumble</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>, but Iwaizumi seemed to hear.  "The Quidditch match," Iwaizumi answered with a sigh, looking down at Hinata.  "I remember deflecting a spell and then...nothing.  We must have made a big mess back there."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata was remembering vaguely about what happened.  He remembered a big burst of light, </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> huge noise and then - nothing as well.  He gasped loudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kageyama!"  Hinata looked over at Iwaizumi, grabbing his arm.  "Kageyama was the one!  He-He deflected the spell for me!  He-"  Hinata was starting to panic, making a weird whining noise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He saved me...oh no, but I don't know where he... is he here with us?  Did you see anyone else?"  Hinata asked, his breathing getting shallow.  Iwaizumi seemed experienced with this</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because he was putting his hands on Hinata's shoulders and helping him breath</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span> normally again, inhaling and exhaling with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't," he answered.  "But it doesn't matter. I at least found you.  Two minds are better than one."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata looked up at Iwaizumi and then started laughing.  Hard.  "Oh, no</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e </span>
  <span>choked</span>
  <span> on his laugh, shaking his head, then patted Iwaizumi on the back.  "No, I'm no help</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> either.  I was just planning on following you until we reached Hogwarts.  So the two of us are still just one mind, but two bodies."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They</span>
  <span>’d been</span>
  <span> walking </span>
  <span>n</span>
  <span>orth this whole time</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Hinata's body was beginning to ache. Hours ago he found his wand, but it was snapped in half, making it completely useless.  Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> lost his</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I miss Kageyama</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>" Hinata whined, looking over at Iwaizumi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who just kept looking forward.  How did he not look tired at all?  "You kind of remind me of him.  Kageyama."  This time he ran in front of Iwaizumi, facing him so now Hinata had to walk backwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san, can you smile for me</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> please?"  Iwaizumi did not smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah.  Just like Kageyama..." Hinata sighed, turning around again and walked.  Iwaizumi didn’t offer any breaks</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and they'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been walking since the sun began rising </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> the </span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span>ast - the sun was in the middle of the damn sky now!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san," Hinata huffed, wiping the sweat off his forehead, taking his robes off.  Iwaizumi looked like he was refreshed and ready to go to a fancy dinner.  How?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can we take a break</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> please</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>" Hinata panted softly.  Iwaizumi didn't even say anything, just stopping and nodd</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span>.  So he was different than Kageyama in a few ways...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Hinata dropped </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> the ground, stretching his legs.  He missed his broom so much, wishing he could just fly out of here.  He missed his wand and the magic he could've used up till now.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Most importantly</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, he missed Kageyama.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think I’m having a heat stroke," Hinata groaned, holding his head in his hands.  Everything around him was hot</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> the whole place was a damn steam room.  Why did Iwaizumi look perfectly fine?  Was he a monster or something?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're not-'' Hinata panted softly, looking up at Iwaizumi.  "You're not even sweating!"  Iwaizumi just shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was a normal thing to be walking around in 30</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>something</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>degree weather and </span>
  <span>be</span>
  <span> perfectly fine.  He was wearing at least 3 layers!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm taking</span>
  <span> these</span>
  <span> off," Hinata groaned, starting to take his cape and robes off, leaving him with just his pants and the long</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>sleeve he had</span>
  <span> on</span>
  <span> underneath.  He dropped his other garments on the ground before standing up.  Iwaizumi furrowed his eyebrows, picking them up and holding them for </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  In response, Hinata snatched them back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You don't have to carry them!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e exclaimed, dropping his clothes on the ground again, but Iwaizumi just picked them back up, shaking his head.  "We can't leave them here.  An animal might get caught in them and get hurt.  And it's your uniform.  If you're too tired to carry them then I can.  I don't mind."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata</span>
  <span> hadn’t thought</span>
  <span> about it like that.  </span>
  <span>He just thought he was throwing his uniform to the side, and maybe it would mix into the Earth or something.</span>
  <span>  "Ah, I can hold them!"  Hinata took his clothes back quickly, realizing that Iwaizumi was really willing to carry them for the whole walk.  He didn't want to burden Iwaizumi like that, especially when they weren't particularly friends.  Iwaizumi just nodded and started walking again, forcing Hinata to follow him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're kinda like a mom," Hinata laughed, hoping some conversation </span>
  <span>would distract</span>
  <span> him from the aches in his legs.  "You must baby lots of your friends, hm?"  He smiled widely, but when Iwaizumi looked back at him his face was </span>
  <span>serious</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Just like Kageyama...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I...have a spoiled friend," Iwaizumi replied, a lot softer now, an affectionate tone to his words.  "So I guess I'm used to it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata hummed, nodding at the words, definitely seeing Iwaizumi as a mom</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>type friend after the hours they’ve been </span>
  <span>together</span>
  <span>.  Except for the fact that Iwaizumi ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't asked him if he was hungry yet, he was pretty much any regular mom in this situation (</span>
  <span>and he was pretty sure Iwaizumi didn't ask if he was hungry because he didn't have any food to offer</span>
  <span>).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This friend, they're a wizard too?"  Hinata asked, preferring they talk instead of awkward silence.  And he liked Iwaizumi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> anyway.  Very similar to Kageyama.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Iwaizumi nodded, and when Hinata thought he would have to ask for their name</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too, Iwaizumi answered.  "Oikawa.  The Slytherin captain."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata opened his mouth, then closed it, not wanting to say something accidentally offensive.  He’s heard so many things about Oikawa  - so, so, so many things - and he didn't want Iwaizumi to hear those things even though he probably </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> if they were close friends.  But someone like Iwaizumi being friends with Oikawa?  It was very hard to imagine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Does Oikawa-san take care of you</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too?"  Hinata couldn't see it, but Iwaizumi clenched his jaw ever so slightly.  There was a slight nod, then a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah.  I guess so..."  When he turned to look at Hinata, Iwaizumi was still smiling - if you could call it that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah!"  Hinata flinched, turning his head away so he didn't have to look at the curve Iwaizumi was doing with his mouth.  Iwaizumi was a little too similar to Kageyama.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Evening came.  The moon wasn't out yet, but it was getting colder.  Luckily, Iwaizumi found a stream where they were able to wash their faces and drink - Hinata finally wiped the sweat off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ahh, that feels nice," Hinata moaned, using his robes to wipe his face, then gave Iwaizumi his cape so he could dry himself </span>
  <span>off,</span>
  <span> too.  Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>stripped his top half off, now shirtless.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>How Hinata knew he was really in love with Kageyama - he didn't even look twice at Iwaizumi's body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wonder where Kageyama is," Hinata thought out loud, looking up at the sky.  The sun was setting, the purple and blue and orange and yellow all mixing together.  Kageyama liked sunsets and sunrises.  They watched them all the time together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hope he's okay."</span>
</p><p><span>Iwaizumi </span><span>dried</span><span> himself off before he went to sit beside Hinata, putting his shirt back on.  He reached into his robes </span><span>and</span> <span>took out</span><span> a granola bar, giving it to Hinata.  Hinata gasped, his eyes </span><span>widening</span><span> at the sight of food.  </span><span>Without asking, he took the bar, </span><span>ripping it open and scar</span><span>f</span><span>ing it down.</span></p><p><span>"You had this the whole time?  Why?"  Hinata didn't</span> <span>care that it was melted, he was so hungry.  Of course he left half for Iwaizumi, but the older rejected the offer.  Hinata didn't complain.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Oikawa always gets anxious before a Quidditch game so he forgets to eat.  I always carry a snack with me so I </span>
  <span>can</span>
  <span> feed it to him before we play, but this time...well, he just didn't eat it."  Iwaizumi shrugged.  "Wish the granola was lost in this forest instead of my wand</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>though."</span>
</p><p><span>Hinata was still chewing, but swallowed quickly when Iwaizumi was done with his explanation.  When he asked why</span><span>,</span><span> he</span> <span>actually meant “why didn't you tell me sooner,</span><span>” </span><span>but decided he wouldn’t tell Iwaizumi that.</span></p><p>
  <span>"You seem to care about Oikawa-san a lot," Hinata observed, reaching</span>
  <span> out </span>
  <span>to take some water from the stream</span>
  <span> to</span>
  <span> wash the granola bar down.  “He’s important to you?"  Iwaizumi hummed and nodded, a small smile on his face.  Not that creepy one he </span>
  <span>made</span>
  <span> earlier.</span>
</p><p><span>"That's cool!"  Hinata exclaimed, turning his whole body so he was facing Iwaizumi properly.  "I</span> <span>heard so many things about him!  How do you do it?"  </span><span>He </span><span>didn’t mean for it </span><span>to come out like that, but Hinata was genuinely curious.  From Kageyama's perspective, Oikawa was shitty.  From</span> <span>everyone else's, he was an asshole.  Iwaizumi was so nice</span><span>,</span><span> though!  There must be something Oikawa was doing.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Well</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>" Iwaizumi was actually laughing.  Not a real laugh though, just a small chuckle.  "I guess...I'm the only </span>
  <span>one</span>
  <span> who can handle it.  Might as well."  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata made a face, shaking his head vigorously like he </span>
  <span>disagreed</span>
  <span>.  "That's not a good answer!"  Hinata said, shocking Iwaizumi a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why do you say that?""Because!"  Hinata crossed his arms, ready to explain.  "That's not good for both people then!  You're just forcing yourself to take care of someone out of obligation, but that's not your job.  And Oikawa-san probably feels like a charity case if you keep saying that you take care of him because no one else will.  It’ll probably hurt his feelings."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi just looked at him and suddenly Hinata's confidence was gone</span>
  <span>. He </span>
  <span>dropp</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>his arms and, feeling a little smaller as he fiddled with his fingers.  "I mean..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>that's how I see it-""You're right</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  Iwaizumi said suddenly, looking away and </span>
  <span>out</span>
  <span> at the water.  "That's not the reason."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was silence between them for a few minutes</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Hinata thought he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> messed up.  But </span>
  <span>finally</span>
  <span> Iwaizumi sighed </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> look</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> back at Hinata.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love Oikawa.  With all my heart."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata gasped, </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> eyes widening.  He didn't know why his heart was pounding so fast - was this too much like a romance novel?  He could feel himself blushing</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and it wasn't even a confession to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No.  It was Iwaizumi's face and how it changed, how it softened, his eyes</span>
  <span> less</span>
  <span> alert and looking blissful as he said Oikawa's name.  It looked like this was the first time Iwaizumi had said these words.  Why was Hinata his audience?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Have you told him?"  Iwaizumi shook his head.  "You know that dumb class Divination?  You're in 3rd year, right?  You should be taking it."  Hinata nodded, pursing his lips a bit.  "I hate that class..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So did I."  Iwaizumi sighed softly.  The night was getting colder</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because Hinata could see his breath now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I had a vision.  Oikawa pushes me away, and...I guess...I ran away first."  Iwaizumi's voice was different.  It wasn't confident and rough anymore - it was quiet and timid.  Like this conversation was supposed to be a secret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I couldn't </span>
  <span>handle</span>
  <span> that.  If Oikawa pushed me away like that in real life, I'm not sure what I</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> do.  I could barely handle a stupid vision.  To this day, I'm not even sure when it's supposed to happen.  I think it's around now, but I made sure there was no way it would happen.  Besides, Oikawa has lots of girls to choose from.  One day he'll realize I can't compete with a girl."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata watched as Iwaizumi went on his little rant, probably the most he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> heard Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>say</span>
  <span> these past 3 years at Hogwarts together.  Was getting older actually that hard?  Was being in love that hard?  He didn't think it was.  Even though he found it hard to approach Kageyama about love and confess, he didn't think it would come to a point where he was scared of Kageyama pushing him away.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>As long as Kageyama was happy, he wasn't scared at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's stupid," Hinata said bluntly, making Iwaizumi flinch a little.  "What?""I said</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> that's stupid."  Hinata turned around again, falling on his back so he could look up at the sky </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> putting his hands behind his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Like you said, Divination is a dumb class.  All I see is fog in my dumb crystal ball.  And besides, aren't you doing the same thing by running away?  You're trying to stop that vision from happening, but if you loved Oikawa-san as much as you say you do</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then you would stop that vision from happening anyway."  Hinata shrugged.  As if he </span>
  <span>knew anything </span>
  <span>about love.  In all honesty, this was just his opinion.  What would he do if he saw Kageyama pushing him away in a vision? (</span>
  <span>G</span>
  <span>ranted, Kageyama pushed him away physically a lot already</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Isn't that what you do when you're in love?  Work hard?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata loved Quidditch, so he worked hard playing Quidditch.  Hinata loved magic, so he worked hard </span>
  <span>practising</span>
  <span> magic.  Hinata loved his family, so he worked hard for his family.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Hinata loved Kageyama, so he worked hard to stay by his side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you </span>
  <span>really</span>
  <span> loved him, then you would work hard to make sure he won’t push you away.  At least, that's how I see it.  And to me, Iwaizumi-san, you seem like a hard worker."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Another silence </span>
  <span>settled</span>
  <span> between them, but it was much more comfortable this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hinata," Iwaizumi chuckled, laying down </span>
  <span>beside him </span>
  <span>and looking at the sky.  Hinata wonder</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> if Kageyama had the same view, and he had a feeling Iwaizumi was wondering something similar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not bad for a 3rd year."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Not bad for a Slytherin."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Nighttime </span>
  <span>was so cold.  So cold and so lonely.  The full moon was giving them light, but Hinata was still scared.  He was able to fall asleep </span>
  <span>for a while </span>
  <span>because Kageyama's scent was lingering around, probably from his robes.  </span>
  <span>He</span>
  <span> and Kageyama spent a lot of time together</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then he heard it.  A howl.  Loud and close</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Hinata sat up, his heart pounding hard.  Iwaizumi looked like he </span>
  <span>hadn’t </span>
  <span>hear</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> it at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san," Hinata whispered, shaking </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, but he didn't respond.  Hinata heard the howl again - it was getting closer.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san," </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>said a little louder, shaking </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> harder.  He finally got a response</span>
  <span> - Iwaizumi</span>
  <span> open</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> his eyes a little.  "What is it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata look</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> around </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> the trees and bushes, trying to find out where the howl came from.  "I heard...I heard..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Hinata looked across the water</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>and his breath hitched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red fur.  Red eyes to match.  Claws.  Sharp teeth.  Across the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The werewolf growled</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then howled again, making other wolves howl along with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Were-Were-" Iwaizumi was already on his feet, pulling Hinata up before he could finish screaming </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> dragging him </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> the opposite direction.  The werewolf howled again</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>and this time Hinata screamed.</span>
</p><p><span>"Werewolf!"  Hinata cried out, holding Iwaizumi's hand tightly as they ran through the trees.  Iwaizumi was faster of course, his legs being longer than Hinata’s, but Hinata was doing everything he could to keep up.  There was no way he was about to die by </span><span>get</span><span>ing</span> <span>eaten by a werewolf.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Werewolf!  A-A werewolf!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e cried again.  Suddenly Iwaizumi stopped, making Hinata panic.  Why did they stop?  He could hear the werewolf crying out and probably calling </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> werewolf friends.  They sounded hungry</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Hinata was not in the mood to get eaten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What are you-""Climb."  Hinata could hear </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span>.  Hurried steps coming from the forest.  Leaves crunching on the ground, feral panting - the werewolf was getting closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Climb?""Wolves can't climb trees.  Come on, it's our only chance.  We can't outrun a werewolf."  Hinata whined, looking up </span>
  <span>at </span>
  <span>the tree.  He couldn't climb a tree - he couldn't even climb down one</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and he heard that was easier!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san, I can't-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"It's fine.  I'm right behind you."  Iwaizumi picked Hinata up, starting him on the first branch and making sure </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> was balanced.  They could both hear it - the wolf was still running and getting closer and closer.  Hinata</span>
  <span> started </span>
  <span>panicking even more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on, Hinata!"  Iwaizumi was </span>
  <span>panting</span>
  <span> now, </span>
  <span>his tone</span>
  <span> much more urgent.  It looked like </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>was </span>
  <span>more</span>
  <span> focused on Hinata climbing the tree than making sure the wolf hadn't followed them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san, I don't know how-" </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>here was another loud howl</span>
  <span>, and </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi push</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>him harder.  "Go!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata cried out but started climbing.  He didn't know what he was doing, just grabbing one branch at a time, step by step, following the path slowly with Iwaizumi right behind him like he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> said he would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't know why Kageyama was coming to his mind in a near</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>death situation.  Hinata should be thinking about himself right now, shouldn't he?  He should be thinking about how he was going to make it out alive, how he would get out of this situation.  He should be thinking about climbing this tree and making sure the wolf </span>
  <span>didn’t </span>
  <span>get him.  He should be making sure he wouldn't be a meal tonight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So why was he thinking about Kageyama?  </span>
  <span>Was </span>
  <span>Kageyama safe too?  Was he out here running from wolves?  Hopefully Kageyama wasn't alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're doing great, Hinata!"  It wasn't the usual insult Kageyama gave him, but he could take it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he knew it, Hinata was at the top of the tree, straddling the thickest branch he could find and sighing in relief.  Iwaizumi did the same, looking down to make sure the wolf </span>
  <span>hadn’t </span>
  <span>follow</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> them.  When it seemed like the coast was clear, </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>relaxed</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> followed by Hinata.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That was..."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Terrifying.  Scary.  Life-threatening."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata's eyes widened at Iwaizumi's choice of words, then smiled widely at him.  "Exciting!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi's eyes widened back at Hinata, then he laughed.  This was the second time </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> whole day - Hinata felt like he was making progress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are we sleeping </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> this tree then?"  Hinata asked, already leaning against the trunk </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>finding a somewhat comfy position, though there was only so much you could do when you were in a tree.  At least he was comfier than</span>
  <span> that </span>
  <span>morning</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> when he was involuntarily stuck in one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're crazy, Hinata," Iwaizumi sighed, leaning back on his branch and closing his eyes.  "Night."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata smiled softly, the smell of Kageyama surrounding him, but he didn't mind or think he was crazy anymore. </span>
  <span>He was pretty sure that it was a small way of Kageyama giving him strength.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Night, Iwaizumi-san."  In a quiet voice right before Hinata fell asleep, he whispered softly</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> "</span>
  <span>Good night</span>
  <span> to you too, Kageyama."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Iwaizumi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Waking up in a tree wasn't as uncomfortable as sleeping in one.  When Iwaizumi woke up</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he had a stiff neck and his limbs were tight.  He was just grateful that they </span>
  <span>hadn’t fallen </span>
  <span>off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he was shocked to see was Hinata already awake, staring out</span>
  <span> at </span>
  <span>the sky.  The sun hadn't fully risen yet, the colours all mix</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> together in a nice orange</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>pink fusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kageyama wakes me up early so we can practice Quidditch," Hinata said softly, probably realizing Iwaizumi was awake now too.  Iwaizumi yawned, rubbing his eyes and looking out at the sunrise as well.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Orange, pink, and yellow swirls colliding together to make one beautiful picture.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hope he can see the sunrise now</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Hinata smiled, then looked over at Iwaizumi.  He wondered if Hinata had gotten any sleep last night.  "Because I know he would've loved this one."</span>
</p><p><span>Iwaizumi </span><span>envied</span><span> just how honest Hinata could be.  It was like he wasn't scared of anything (typical Gryffindor)</span><span>,</span><span> not</span><span> including</span><span> climbing up and down a tree.  Or maybe</span><span> that</span><span> was just how Iwaizumi</span> <span>saw it.  If Iwaizumi's worst fear was facing his feelings, and here Hinata was doing it with ease, how could he not be in awe?  What was it like, being honest with yourself?</span></p><p>
  <span>"You must like Kageyama a lot.""I love him!"  Again, the honesty.  Iwaizumi just nodded.  "You love him...does he love you</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time Hinata was quiet.  His eyes went back to the sunset and he leaned back on the tree stump with a big sigh.  It seemed like Iwaizumi wasn't the only one with love problems.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I really hope so," Hinata answered, not in his usual optimistic tone.  So people like Hinata could make such a face too.  His smile dropped and he was pursing his lips, almost dejected.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Even if he doesn't</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, I'll continue to love him.  I'll love him till the love runs out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow, unsure how to take the statement.  It didn't really make sense to him.  How could you love someone who </span>
  <span>did</span>
  <span>n't love you back?  It </span>
  <span>would</span>
  <span> hurt you even more, especially if the other person knew your feelings.  It was sickening just to think about it, in Iwaizumi’s opinion</span>
  <span> at least</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p><span>"I didn't plan on falling in love with Kageyama.  A boy loving a boy is hard.  But I did</span><span>.</span><span>" Hinata nodded firmly, like he was talking to</span> <span>himself to reassure himself that</span><span> it </span><span>was okay.  "And I don't regret it."  Iwaizumi was feeling a little more reassured as well.</span></p><p>
  <span>"You have something I want, Hinata," Iwaizumi said</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>Hinata’s eyes </span>
  <span>snapped</span>
  <span> to </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, looking scared.  Iwaizumi wanted to laugh, but he didn't.  "Courage."  He could see the relief flow through Hinata’s body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Courage?  Just because I have it doesn't mean you can't have it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too," Hinata shrugged.  "I mean, you saved me twice </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> no, no, three times yesterday!  You have a lot of courage, Iwaizumi-san, you just show it differently!  I'm sure Oikawa-san would be a dumb butt to not love you back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi wanted to smile at that, but he didn't.  The mere thought of Oikawa right now was giving him a headache.  And the Amortentia - ugh, it got all </span>
  <span>over </span>
  <span>their clothes.  All he could smell was Oikawa.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>And not cologne-Oikawa, where he sprays it everywhere before a victory party after winning a Quidditch game.  Oikawa's natural scent, when he was snuggled close to Iwaizumi after a long, stressful day, pleading Iwaizumi to just let him be close.  When Oikawa needed him most, and Iwaizumi didn't hurt as much by indulging</span>
  <span> him</span>
  <span>.  Why couldn't Iwaizumi just tell him back then?  That the scent he smell</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> from the Amortentia, the smell of the thing he loved the most, was him</span>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, Hinata</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>found</span>
  <span> himself growing a little more found of the 3rd year as the hours went by.  "Come on.  I'll teach you how to climb down a tree."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi ended up carrying him down again, but this time Hinata didn't scream.  When they got back down to the ground they started walking again, continuing </span>
  <span>n</span>
  <span>orth.  Hopefully they</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> reach a town or something soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're good at this, Iwaizumi-san."  Iwaizumi didn't mind that Hinata talked a lot.  He wouldn't have minded silence either, but at least when Hinata opened his mouth it wasn't nonsense spewing out. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Most of the time</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good at what?" "Surviving."  Iwaizumi glanced down at Hinata, but he didn't have to ask </span>
  <span>for an explanation</span>
  <span>.  "You know, if you hadn't found me I would've ended up crying or eaten by a wolf!  Have you done this before?  Walk around the Forbidden Forest on your own?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, Iwaizumi ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> not done that.  But he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> spent his </span>
  <span>entire</span>
  <span> life with Oikawa</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and that was a very similar experience.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're gonna be a good parent, I think," Hinata laughed, patting Iwaizumi on the back.  Hinata was wearing his cape and robes this time, since it was colder when the sun was </span>
  <span>still </span>
  <span>rising.  Iwaizumi wouldn't be surprised if he kept complaining about the heat in a few hours</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hope I can take care of Kageyama as well as you took care of me yesterday."  Iwaizumi also didn't mind that Hinata's </span>
  <span>conversation </span>
  <span>topics consisted mainly of Kageyama.  If he had it his way, he would probably talk about Oikawa too.  Brag about him, complain about him - mainly complain about him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sure Kageyama likes you too," Iwaizumi reassured him, but he was sure Hinata didn't buy it.  Iwaizumi barely remembered Kageyama except for when he was a 1st year and latched himself on Oikawa.  Those were the days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe.  But even if he did I'm not sure what we beco-AH!"  Hinata tripped on a rock, almost falling, but Iwaizumi quickly caught him by the back of the robes,  </span>
  <span>setting </span>
  <span>him back on his feet.  Hinata panted softly, then smiled up at Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi also didn't mind </span>
  <span>Hinata’s </span>
  <span>constant smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You really are like Kageyama!"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e laughed, making Iwaizumi a bit more wary, but it felt nice.  Hinata seemed to really miss </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because every little thing Iwaizumi did that reminded Hinata of Kageyama, he had to point</span>
  <span> it</span>
  <span> out.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san, what about you and Oikawa-san?"  Hinata asked suddenly, about an hour having passed now.  "How did you two meet?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi liked to call it cruel fate.  </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>aving been childhood friends, it was harder to </span>
  <span>get </span>
  <span>your feelings across.  Oikawa always held his hand, slept in his bed - they showered together!  Their parents </span>
  <span>basically</span>
  <span> saw them as brothers, but the love Iwaizumi felt for Oikawa was definitely not brotherly (he was very sure).  Even though he shouldn't feel so excited whenever he saw Oikawa, he was.  Oikawa made his heart leap every single time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We grew up together," Iwaizumi answered, trying not to get too into it. "Our dads work together in the Ministry of Magic.  It was inevitable that we met."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata gaped, a little too awed by such a mild story.  Iwaizumi also didn't mind Hinata's big reactions.  "That's cool!  So you know everything about Oikawa, don't you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was about to say yes. But did he?  Oikawa was constantly fooling around and annoying </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, always laughing and sassing whoever crosse</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>him.  But sometimes, when there was no moon outside and Iwaizumi couldn't see his face, when Oikawa thought Iwaizumi had already fallen asleep, Oikawa would cry by himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You'll never know everything about a person," Iwaizumi said, still not looking at Hinata as he answered these questions.  "I know facts, but sometimes I don't know him.  Sometimes he's the only person I know."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata made a face that said he didn't understand, but that was okay.  Kageyama hopefully wasn't this problematic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What made you fall in love with Kageyama?"  Iwaizumi asking a question always made Hinata beam, so he made sure to ask one here and there to keep Hinata's spirits up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's so cool!"  Hinata exclaimed excitedly.  Iwaizumi could feel a lot of bragging coming on.  "He's good at Quidditch and his magic is really powerful and he's really</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> really</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> really good</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>looking, especially when he gets out of the shower and his hair is still wet!  And when he met my sister, even though he didn't smile or anything he was really kind and my sister likes him too - ah, but I told her to back off so it's fine.  A lot of girls like him already, so my sister can’t be my competition too.  And even though he gets bad grades, if he studies he can get a passing mark!  And most of all</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>" Hinata's smile only got bigger as he </span>
  <span>kept </span>
  <span>going </span>
  <span>on about </span>
  <span>Kageyama.  If that was possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's hard</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>working!  No matter what his goal is, he's a hard</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>working person.  It makes me want to work hard</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi wondered if love really had any restrictions.  Hinata was pretty young, yet he thought this </span>
  <span>well </span>
  <span>of someone else, so passionate in his love for someone else.  Iwaizumi was still envious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What about you, Iwaizumi-san?"  Hinata asked</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Iwaizumi noticed </span>
  <span>something else about Hinata:</span>
  <span> he always asked the question back if possible.  "What made you fall in love with Oikawa-san?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi actually had to think about this.  He couldn't give a long rant like Hinata, bragging about how great the person he loved was.  But he couldn't say </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>just because</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  <span> either.  Because that wasn't a good answer.  Iwaizumi loved </span>
  <span>Oikawa</span>
  <span> for many reasons, reasons he still ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't found out yet and reasons he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> had since he</span>
  <span> first </span>
  <span>admitted to himself that he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> fallen in love.  There were reasons Iwaizumi couldn't say out loud and reasons that made him wonder if Oikawa would even love him back.  There were so many reasons, how could he narrow it down?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because," Iwaizumi said softly, his eyes looking straight ahead.  "He said he likes my smile."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was the middle of the day, and </span>
  <span>as </span>
  <span>Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> predicted</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Hinata took his robes off again.  This time</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, Hinata took his shirt off too, leaving his skin out in the open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You might get an infection," Iwaizumi warned him, but Hinata insisted that he was "sweating balls" and couldn't wear too many layers or else he would faint.  So Iwaizumi just let him, but occasionally checked on him to make sure he wasn't getting itchy or </span>
  <span>developed</span>
  <span> a rash.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Hinata was panting.  If Iwaizumi looked up </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> the sky</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> everything was the same.  There was no tower, nothing indicating they were near civilization.  How long were they about to go on like this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san," Hinata called out again, but Iwaizumi just kept walking.  Hinata was probably about to complain some more and wanted an audience.  They'</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>been walking for hours</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Hinata sounded like he was losing air - he didn't want Hinata talking and losing more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san."  Finally Iwaizumi turned around to see what </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>wanted.  "Yes?""You're sweating now</span>
  <span>, too</span>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi turned around again.  He didn't see how that was important, nor why Hinata bothered to waste his breath by telling him.  He ignored it, telling himself Hinata would get bored by not replying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san, you're really sweating."  This time Iwaizumi reacted by touching his forehead, expecting to feel </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> a few drops</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but his eyes widened when </span>
  <span>he felt </span>
  <span>basically his whole forehead dripping with sweat.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He didn't feel that hot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now that Hinata pointed it out, he </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> warm.  He was wearing 3 layers in the middle of the day, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> he didn't mind taking one off.  But it wasn't hot, per se.  It was...humid?  It was hot, but it wasn't the same hot as from the sun.  It was like an oven </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> the air was </span>
  <span>hotter</span>
  <span>, and definitely dry.  He did find it getting harder to breath</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span>, but he assumed it was from walking so much.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Everything was getting foggy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could hear it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  Loud stomps, but not like the werewolf.  It was ground shaking, every stomp making the trees rattle and the earth vibrate.  Hinata was looking at Iwaizumi with a panicked look, his breathing picking up.  Iwaizumi wanted to look calm, but he didn't know what it was just yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san?"  His tone was more urgent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It came out of nowhere, stomping slowly towards them, but they could see the head of it now.  Red scales, yellow eyes - </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> massive creature.  Huge.  He took up the whole sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-Iwa-Iwa-" Hinata whimpered, both too stunned to run at that very second as they watched the scaly head open its mouth in the sky, revealing very sharp teeth and fire - fire </span>
  <span>shot</span>
  <span> out of </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"DRAGON!!!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They were sprinting through the woods, but the dragon</span>
  <span> had</span>
  <span> probably smelt them by now.  Could dragons smell Amortentia too?  Did they smell like a good meal?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Should we-" Hinata was still trying to talk for some reason.  "Climb a-a tree?""Dragons can </span>
  <em>
    <span>fly</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  I don't think a tree would do us any good."</span>
</p><p><span>The dragon was following them, taking wide steps </span><span>and</span><span> leaving a trail of </span><span>burning</span><span> trees that was making</span> <span>the air hotter and hotter and hotter by the second.  The dragon roared so loudly to the point where it drowned </span><span>out</span><span> Hinata's screams.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san, where are we-!"  Hinata tripped, falling on his face.  Iwaizumi's first instinct was to help him get up, but when he turned around and saw the dragon wasn't too far behind, opening</span>
  <span> its </span>
  <span>mouth, about to breath</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span> fire at them, he went for the next move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi dropped on top of Hinata, covering his smaller body to protect him from the fire.  The fire shot out at them and grazed just over Iwaizumi, the scorching heat coming and going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on!"  Iwaizumi gritted out, standing up and grabbing Hinata</span>
  <span>’s</span>
  <span> hand as they sprinted through the forest.  Hinata was running faster now, just following Iwaizumi the whole way, but Iwaizumi didn't know where they were going </span>
  <span>either</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What-What should we-"  The dragon roared again and </span>
  <span>released another blast of fire</span>
  <span>, which Iwaizumi dodged by hiding behind a tree</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>He had Hinata wrapped in his arms, making sure he was completely covered.  It was an instinct to protect who</span>
  <span>ever</span>
  <span> was with him, and Iwaizumi was really growing fond of Hinata - he didn't want</span>
  <span> either</span>
  <span> of them to</span>
  <span> get burned to</span>
  <span> a crisp today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We can't beat a dragon."  Especially without magic.  They needed their wands or a miracle - it looked like neither were </span>
  <span>happening</span>
  <span> for them today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We can only run for now</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>he dragon was getting closer.  Iwaizumi let go of Hinata and held his hand.  "But I won't leave you alone, okay?"  The panicked look in Hinata's eyes were mixed with determination and will - the same thing that made him a Gryffindor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's go!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So they started sprinting again, zigzagging through the trees, Iwaizumi making sure his grip on Hinata's hand was tight so they didn't lose each other.  He had a feeling if they separated there would be a better chance they could survive, but he didn't want to risk not knowing where Hinata was</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>either.  He felt much better if Hinata followed him.</span>
</p><p><span>"It's-It's-" There was another loud roar and fire lighting</span><span> up</span><span> the tops of the trees.  Hinata jumped screaming, sprinting</span> <span>closer to Iwaizumi as they </span><span>ran </span><span>through the forest.  Iwaizumi wasn't sure how long they'</span><span>d</span><span> been running at this point, but the dragon wasn't giving up.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san, I-I can't-" Iwaizumi could tell Hinata was tired, but this dragon wasn't</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> so they really needed to run.  But Hinata was slowing down, which slowed Iwaizumi - and that made the dragon closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on," Iwaizumi yelled back, tugging Hinata hard so he could keep up.  Now wasn't the time to give up, and it probably wasn't the best time for a pep talk, but Hinata's legs were shaking and there wasn't any sign that this dragon was </span>
  <span>going </span>
  <span>to back down.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Another gust of hot air and fire flew above them, poofing through the sky leaving a cloud of dark smoke that filled their lungs.  Hinata went from panting to coughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san, I can't.  It's too much</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Hinata was slowing down, shaking his head and slowly slipping his hand out of Iwaizumi's.  Iwaizumi only held his hand tighter, looking back at Hinata and pulling him harder, but Hinata was getting harder to drag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry.  Go without me," Hinata cried, trying to let go of Iwaizumi.  "It's-It's fine.  I'm happy I met Kageyama, so it's fine.  Go."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi furrowed his eyebrows at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, looking behind </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span> to see where the dragon was.  It was stomping closer, </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> head in</span>
  <span> view</span>
  <span>, but Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>sacrificed</span>
  <span> the few seconds they had as the dragon got ready for another blast of fire.  He took Hinata by the shoulders, shaking him a bit to force him to look up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're gonna tell Kageyama, alright?"  Iwaizumi said firmly, looking dead</span>
  <span> into </span>
  <span>Hinata's eyes.  </span>
  <span>Hinata’s</span>
  <span> tears were still falling, but Iwaizumi didn't dry them for him.  "We're gonna get out of this, okay?  You have a family and Kageyama and you are going to be happy together, you hear me?  You're not going to give up now.  You're not like that</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>Hinata, are you?  You work hard, don't you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata's eyes widened, his gaze much more alert, just like how it was when he played Quidditch - he looked like he was about to win.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So let's work hard together!"  Iwaizumi took his hand again, holding it tightly.  Hinata gave him a firm, determined nod.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both had something to live for - they needed to make it out alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another </span>
  <span>huge</span>
  <span> roar shook the forest</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and the hottest fire the dragon </span>
  <span>had released yet</span>
  <span> blasted in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> the air.  It made both of them cough and cover their mouths, shaking.  Everything was hot.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Flaming branches </span>
  <span>were starting to fall, and </span>
  <span>they pivoted to dodge </span>
  <span>each of </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span>.  Iwaizumi wasn't sure they were going to make it anymore - but he would hate to say he didn't try.</span>
</p><p><span>There </span><span>were</span><span> more big stomps and heaving breath</span><span>s</span><span> behind them as they ran from the fire</span><span>. H</span><span>e could feel the dragon getting ready </span><span>for another</span><span> blast.  Iwaizumi's vision went blurry, the smoke watering his eyes and making it harder to breath</span><span>e</span><span>.</span><span><br/></span><span>He was ready.  He thought of Oikawa, and even though he regretted not telling him how much he loved him, he regretted how he didn't treat Oikawa fairly after Oikawa ha</span><span>d</span><span> been so easy to show affection to, he regretted not being there for him when times were difficult, he regretted how he made it so hard for both of them with the feelings he had for Oikawa, he regretted how he didn't trust Oikawa, he regretted how he fought with Oikawa, he regretted not asking him if he was actually okay and just taking the fake smile Oikawa</span> <span>would give him-</span></p><p>
  <span>He regretted not telling Oikawa what he actually smelled when he opened the Amortentia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was ready.  Iwaizumi regretted, but he was ready.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Then</span>
  <span> lightning</span>
  <span> hit.  Out of nowhere, like the dragon,</span>
  <span> lightning</span>
  <span> burst through the sky, covering the whole place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dragon's fire never blasted.  The stomping stopped.  Iwaizumi and Hinata were still running hand</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>hand until they noticed the trees weren't on fire anymore.  They slowed their steps, turning around to see where the dragon was.</span>
</p><p><span>It was lying far </span><span>away </span><span>but</span> <span>big enough to still see</span><span>,</span> <span>its </span><span>eyes closed.  The fire engulfed it </span><span>as </span><span>Hinata and Iwaizumi watch</span><span>ed</span><span>.</span></p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi gave Hinata his cape to cover himself.  They were still processing what had just happened after finding a safe place to rest.  Hinata still looked shaken up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay-" Hinata's arms suddenly wrapped around Iwaizumi's waist, hugging him tightly.  It took Iwaizumi by surprise, not being able to react and was very stiff with the hug.  When Hinata didn't let go, Iwaizumi allowed himself to hug him back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you, Iwaizumi-san," Hinata cried in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> his chest, wailing loudly.  "I-I was so useless!  Kageyama would've done something but I-I couldn't even run."  He could feel Hinata's tears seeping through his cloak.  Iwaizumi patt</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> his back to calm him down, but it seemed that this was Hinata's way of </span>
  <span>overcoming </span>
  <span>this whole thing.</span>
</p><p><span>"You weren't useless," Iwaizumi reassured him.  "You noticed the dragon, didn't you?  And you pointed out how hot it was.  If you didn’t point it out soon enough,</span> <span>we might’ve not</span> <span>started running in time."</span></p><p><span>Hinata sniffed and look</span><span>ed</span><span> up, tears still running down his cheeks.  It kind of reminded Iwaizumi of Oikawa.  This time, Iwaizumi</span> <span>wiped his tears away.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Really?""Mhm.  You were brave back there.  I'm proud of you</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Iwaizumi ruffled Hinata's hair, giving him a small smile.  "You really can do anything, can't you, Hinata?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata sniffled again, letting go of Iwaizumi and rubb</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> his eyes.  His cheeks </span>
  <span>were </span>
  <span>pink, probably from crying so much, but then Hinata smiled and nodded, holding a fist up to Iwaizumi.  Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow at him, cocking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's a fist bump," Hinata explained.  "I only do this with Kageyama, but after running from a dragon, I can give you one.  Besides, you remind me of </span>
  <span>Kageyama</span>
  <span> a lot</span>
  <span>."  Iwaizumi let out a breathy laugh and nodded, fist bumping Hinata back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You were really cool back there," Hinata kept complimenting Iwaizumi, which he didn't mind, but </span>
  <span>it was</span>
  <span> starting to get repetitive.  "Maybe I would talk to Slytherins more if they were like you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi held his tongue, </span>
  <span>un</span>
  <span>able to defend Slytherins all that much.  He didn't want to burst the poor kid's bubble, and to this day no one ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> remembered or found out that Iwaizumi had switched houses.  He didn't want all that effort to go to waste just because he had a soft spot for </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> kid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So they kept walking in silence, both with different people on their minds, but the same ideas in their heads.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san!  Look!  Look, I'm doing my trick again!"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two looked up to see a Hogwarts student on his broom wheeling through the sky, flying with a wide smile on his face.  He was laughing, looking like he was having a lot of fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Noya-san!"  Hinata screamed excitedly.  Iwaizumi looked up again </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>recogniz</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> Nishinoya, who was flying as if they weren't stuck in the middle of </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>Forbidden Forest.  He looked like he was having too much fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Noya-san, down here!""Asahi-san, can you see me?  Watch me!"  Something wasn't right.  When Iwaizumi looked </span>
  <span>from </span>
  <span>side to side Asahi wasn't there.  Nishinoya wasn't talking to anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Noya-san!  Hey, look down here!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"That's not Nishinoya."  Iwaizumi looked up, watching as the so</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>called </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Nishinoya</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> continued to laugh and fool around.  All of a sudden a light zapped out of nowhere, </span>
  <span>striking him</span>
  <span> in the chest.  </span>
  <span>He dropped</span>
  <span> to the ground with a loud thud</span>
  <span>, lying </span>
  <span>lifeless.</span>
</p><p><span>"Noya-san!"  Hinata screamed, running to where </span><span>“</span><span>Nishinoya</span><span>”</span> <span>had</span><span> landed to check what had just happened.  Hinata</span><span> shook</span><span> him, trying to wake him up, but Iwaizumi just watched.  He looked around, trying to see where that light </span><span>had come</span><span> from, but there was no one else there.  Something really wasn't right.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Noya-san!  Noya-san, wake up!  Nishinoya-san, please wake up!"  Hinata cried, shaking Nishinoya harder.  He looked up at Iwaizumi, his eyes watering as he held Nishinoya desperately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What-What do we do?"  Iwaizumi furrowed his eyebrows at the body, then finally knelt down beside Hinata.  He touched it, the skin cold and dry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>checked</span>
  <span> his eyes, closed but he forced one to open - his whole eye was black.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah!"  Hinata exclaimed, but Iwaizumi </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>expect</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span>.  He looked around, standing up and trying to remember where this </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Nishinoya</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> came from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What-What happened to him?"  Iwaizumi didn't say anything at first, just looking around.  He looked back at Hinata, motioning for him to follow him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not Nishinoya.  It's a Boggart."  Iwaizumi knew it all too well.  Asahi had to do it over and over and over again for their 4th year exam, and each time the Boggart was the same - Nishinoya excitedly showing him something</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> then suddenly being killed out of nowhere.  Asahi's worst fear was not being able to protect Nishinoya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi is close.  We're not alone here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi took Hinata's hand, pulling him</span>
  <span> in</span>
  <span> the vague direction he remembered Nishinoya emerg</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> from.  Maybe Asahi was with Oikawa.  Maybe Asahi had a way out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait, how do you even-""Just trust me</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  Iwaizumi said urgently, continuing to walk with Hinata following him.  "Trust me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi wasn't sure he trusted himself, but if there was even a small chance that he could see Oikawa again, he would take it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi-san.  You really remind me of Kageyama."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Sugawara</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Walking.  Walking.  Walking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara wasn't sure if his legs or his feet were gonna fall off - maybe both?</span>
</p><p><span>When he woke up in the middle of nowhere looking up at a bright sky, he</span> <span>really thought he</span><span>’d</span><span> died.  If the last thing he saw was Daichi before he died, he actually wouldn't have minded.</span></p><p>
  <span>But he didn't die.  His heart was still beating and he could still feel the stupid blisters on his legs from flying on his broom.  Right - the Quidditch match.  Everything made a little more sense when he stood up, but not so much when he realized he had no idea where he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he walked.  And walked.  And walked.  He walked so much that he was about to faint, especially when the sun was so high up in the sky.  Naturally he decided to take a break, sitting down </span>
  <span>i</span>
  <span>n the grass under a nice shady tree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was Daichi okay? This was his first concern.  After saving Sugawara like that, he must have taken a big blow, right?  He must be somewhere in the forest too, considering Sugawara </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> ended up here without even doing magic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn't do magic</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> anyway.  He still ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't bought a new wand after those stupid Slytherins broke his.  For the past week's classes he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> just failed, which definitely gave his classmates something to snicker about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe being stuck in the forest wasn't that bad.  Sure, he'd have to find something to eat soon, but there should be a river.  Maybe he could make a fire and cook himself some fish.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Perks of having muggle parents that took him camping: he could survive in the wild without magic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn't occur to him that this could be </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> magical fucking forest</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, because when he started hearing rustling in the distance he told himself it was just a bear.  Sugawara could wrestle a bear.  He</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> got</span>
  <span>ten</span>
  <span> into a fight with Oikawa before over who had the last of the hot water - he could handle a puny bear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it wasn't a bear.  There was more rustling and lighter steps.  Sugawara stood up suddenly, looking around and trying to find where it was coming from.  The bushes were shaking and the leaves in the trees were bustling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't have a wand, but he had his fists up and that should </span>
  <span>count</span>
  <span> for something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly a human figure jumped out.  Tall, skinny, and red hair bright in his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tendou?"  Tendou made a face at Sugawara, clearly disgusted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ugh.  Just the mudblood."  Sugawara gritted his teeth, </span>
  <span>lowering </span>
  <span>his fists but keeping them balled up.  He never knew when he needed to punch a bitch in the face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you have your wand?"  Tendou asked, Sugawara not responding and just turning away, walking through the trees.  Tendou must've taken this as a </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>yes</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> because he started following </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How annoying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey!  You have your wand, don't you?"  Tendou called out, walking beside Sugawara.  "Give it to me.  I need to use it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara huffed, ignoring Tendou completely, not in the mood to be harassed in the middle of a goddamn forest.  Just when he thought he’d escape at least one day </span>
  <span>without</span>
  <span> torment - of course it had to be fucking Tendou.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Give it here, mudblood," Tendou growled, grabbing Sugawara's shoulder and pulling him, but Sugawara pushed him back.  He was so fed up - they were in the middle of nowhere and Tendou thought this was a good time to bully him.  Fucking Slytherins.  Fucking pure</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>bloods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't touch me," Sugawara spat, </span>
  <span>knocking his</span>
  <span> hand </span>
  <span>away</span>
  <span>.  This shocked Tendou, making him laugh coldly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, so you're brave now, huh?  Now that I don't have magic and we're in the middle of nowhere, you suddenly decide to do something?"  Tendou looked down at Sugawara, a bitter look in his eyes.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"It's that cowardliness you have that pisses me off the most."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara gritted his teeth and turned around.  This wasn't</span>
  <span> the</span>
  <span> time to fight and this </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> the time to be called a coward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara wasn't a coward.  He just knew which battles were worth fighting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, mudblood!  You're not gonna talk to me?"  Tendou was just provoking him, but Sugawara wasn't going to give him a wand.  He could follow him to the end of the forest for all Sugawara cared, he didn't give two shits.  He just wanted to get out of here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can't hear now either, huh?  Might as well give me your wand now since you don't know how to use it anyway."  Sugawara still didn't respond, </span>
  <span>continuing </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> the same speed.  He couldn't show Tendou that he was getting to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So this is what you look like, hm?  When</span>
  <span> your </span>
  <span>Gryffindor friend isn't here to protect you</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara stopped at th</span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span>, looking at Tendou.  His stare was cold now.  "Don't bring Daichi into this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou smirked, knowing he hit something in Sugawara.  "Ah, so he's the switch in your heart, is he?  That's cute</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tendou leaned down, his eyes cocky as </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> looked at Sugawara.  "Bet he doesn't appreciate a mudblood tainting his own pure blood.  What do you think?"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn't sure if it was because they were alone, or because they were in the middle of nowhere, or maybe it was because it was Tendou - Sugawara was probably going to regret it, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara punched Tendou in the face.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't a good choice when Tendou grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against a tree.  Sugawara chok</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span>, looking at </span>
  <span>him </span>
  <span>with wide eyes, his hands </span>
  <span>clawing at</span>
  <span> Tendou's to get him off.  When he looked at Tendou though, there wasn't a murderous look on his face </span>
  <span>like </span>
  <span>he was expecting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou looked...frustrated.  Was Sugawara heavy or something?  Why was he loosening his grip?  This was an easy fight for Tendou to win, especially with the </span>
  <span>height advantage </span>
  <span>he had against Sugawara</span>
  <span>.  Even though </span>
  <span>Tendou</span>
  <span> was skinnier, Sugawara knew he would have to fight hard to get a good upper hand on</span>
  <span> him</span>
  <span> in a fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So why was Tendou letting go?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fucking mudblood.  Not worth it," Tendou growled at him, </span>
  <span>turning</span>
  <span> around and walking away.  Sugawara watched his back, clenching his fists.  Now he wasn't even good enough to fight?  He wasn't strong enough as a wizard,</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> now he wasn't even strong enough as a regular human? </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He wasn't worthless.  He wasn't weak.  He wasn't a coward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey!"  Sugawara yelled, now being the one to follow Tendou.  Stupid forest.  Stupid Tendou.  Everything was stupid!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey</span>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>" </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e finally caught up, pushing Tendou to get his attention.  Before Tendou could react though, Sugawara was already screaming.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What the fuck did I do, huh?  I was born as a mudblood and what?  I can't think of </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> single thing I did to make </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> you fucking Slytherins hate me, except being better than all of you combined.  Even still, why the hell am I the one working harder than everyone else just </span>
  <span>to be</span>
  <span> looked down on still - because of what?  Because of</span>
  <em>
    <span> what</span>
  </em>
  <span>?  I don't even know the reason anymore!  Because my parents can't do magic?  I'm not my parents!"  Tendou was looking at him, his face indifferent, but Sugawara kept going. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"You don't know, alright?  None of you know!  I didn't ask to be a fucking wizard.  I had two normal parents and I got a letter one day - that's it.  I didn't fucking ask!  I didn't ask, so don't act like I wanted to be stuck with all of you!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara was huffing, but it felt...so good.  So good to actually say it out loud, scream it even.  "You don't know</span>
  <span> what it's</span>
  <span> like to be shunned for something you couldn't control in the first place!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last statement must have triggered Tendou in </span>
  <span>some</span>
  <span> way because his eyes widened and he clenched his jaw.  </span>
  <span>He </span>
  <span>clenched</span>
  <span> his </span>
  <span>fists </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> he stepped towards Sugawara, glaring down at him.</span>
</p><p><span>"Excuse me?"  Tendou looked angrier than Sugawara ha</span><span>d</span> <span>seen him before.  His eyes were turning red</span><span>,</span><span> and he could see the veins in Tendou's neck.  "</span><em><span>I</span></em><span> don't know?  It's </span><em><span>you </span></em><span>who doesn't know shit."</span></p><p>
  <span>Sugawara was expecting Tendou to rant like he </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> did, to scream and shout - but he didn't.  He just walked away, leaving Sugawara stunned and more angry than before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Talk to me, you piece of shit!"  Sugawara screamed louder, </span>
  <span>catching </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span> to Tendou and shoving him, almost pushing him</span>
  <span> to</span>
  <span> the ground.  "Talk to me!  What, I'm not even good enough to look at now?  Do your precious pure eyes burn every time they see my mudblood face?  Is that it?"  Sugawara pushed Tendou again, but </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>didn't react.  It was pissing Sugawara off.</span>
</p><p><span>5 fucking years of bullying and now that he was</span> <span>fighting back this was the result?  It wasn't satisfying at all.  His bullies were really just a bunch of wusses.  None of them were worth a fight.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Look at me, Tendou!  Fucking look at me!  You're nothing without magic either, so look at me and say it to my fucking face!  Say that I'm worthless because I'm not a real wizard, because now you're not either!  The only fucking difference is that at least I know how to survive."  Sugawara panted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou finally looked up at him, but it wasn't the face he was expecting.  Again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked like he was about to cry.  Tendou looked like he was about to break down, his face tightening like he was forcing himself to hold back tears.  Sugawara gulped, looking at his face and backing away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You smell like him..." Sugawara didn't know what he meant.  Tendou's voice was quiet, but he still heard it.  It was confusing and a bit creepy, but Tendou really looked like he was about</span>
  <span> to </span>
  <span>bawl any second now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Everything smells like him...but I can't find him anywhere."  Tendou let out a loud exhale that sounded somewhat like a sob, but he wasn't crying.  He clenched his fists and turned away from Sugawara, starting to walk again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He probably didn't intend for it, but Sugawara followed him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been walking for hours,</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> the sun wasn't in the middle of the sky anymore.  It was probably 3 or 4 PM, but it was still hot.  They </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> talk</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> to each other the whole time, but they didn't mind.  It </span>
  <span>wasn’t </span>
  <span>like they had anything to talk about.</span>
</p><p><span>Until they found a river.  Clear water that looked cold enough to freeze in </span><span>-</span><span> Sugawara </span><span>hadn’t</span><span> realize</span><span>d</span> <span>how thirsty he was until they went down and started drinking from it.  It was the most refreshing thing he'</span><span>d</span> <span>ever</span><span> had in his life.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Fish," Tendou mumbled softly, probably not intending for Sugawara to hear, but he did.  He looked down </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>saw the</span>
  <span> fish</span>
  <span> swimming in the water, and at first he thought Tendou </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> just thinking they were pretty.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But then he heard his stomach growling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You wanna eat?"  Sugawara asked softly</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Tendou hesitat</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> before nodding slowly.  </span>
</p><p><span>"But..</span><span>.</span><span>it'll be raw."  Sugawara was already taking his cape</span><span>, </span><span>robes and shoes off, leaving him in his pants and sweater.  He rolled his sleeves and pant</span> <span>up, </span><span>then </span><span>walked i</span><span>nto the river and look</span><span>ed</span><span> down to make sure he could see the </span><span>fish </span><span>clearly.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I'll make a fire.  Just sit there."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't know why he was doing it.  Pity?  No, he didn't pity Tendou.  Tendou had it all.  It was more instinct perhaps, that he should be taking care of someone who had a lesser chance.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Or maybe it was because of </span>
  <span>what had happened</span>
  <span> earlier.  When Sugawara realized Tendou also had someone to return to.  Tendou also had someone he was looking for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara kept his eyes </span>
  <span>o</span>
  <span>n the water, getting ready before quickly </span>
  <span>thrusting</span>
  <span> his hand in and catching a fish.  He successfully grabbed it by the tail</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> looked over at Tendou, catching it to him.  "Catch."  Tendou caught it even though he was shocked at the sudden flopping fish in the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara caught 4 more</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Tendou h</span>
  <span>eld</span>
  <span> all of them </span>
  <span>as they</span>
  <span> flopp</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> in his arms and tr</span>
  <span>ied</span>
  <span> to get away, but he had a pretty good grip on them.  Sugawara came back </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>the grass, looking around for some sticks and bark to make a fire.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He ended up breaking branches</span>
  <span> off of a tree </span>
  <span>nearby</span>
  <span>, bringing </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span> back to Tendou and stacking </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span> for a </span>
  <span>campfire</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can make a fire without magic," Sugawara explained, taking two sticks and rubbing them together.  "Like this.  It just takes longer."  It took a few minutes but Sugawara got a spark going, </span>
  <span>leaning it</span>
  <span> on</span>
  <span> the pile of branches and twigs and making a small flame.  He added more sticks </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> mak</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span> the fire bigger, then started </span>
  <span>spearing </span>
  <span>the fish on some of the sticks from the tree.</span>
</p><p><span>Tendou just watch</span><span>ed</span><span>.  "It'll take a while to cook</span><span>,</span><span> too</span><span>.</span><span>" Sugawara held one of the sticks above the fire, waiting for it to cook.  It wouldn’t be the</span> <span>first time he was doing this</span><span>,</span><span> though, so he could wait.  "Just a few minutes.  Don't worry."</span></p><p>
  <span>There was a</span>
  <span>nother</span>
  <span> silence between them, both awkward and needed.  This was probably the longest Sugawara ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been with another Slytherin without being harassed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara-""Not 'mudblood' anymore?"  Sugawara didn't mean to interrupt him </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> it just slipped out.  Didn't mean he was going to apologize for it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Tendou looked slightly dejected Sugawara sighed, not looking up at him.  "What is it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was hesitance on Tendou's face before he spoke.  Sugawara didn't know if he should be worried or anxious - was there a difference?  Either way, anything Tendou said made him tense in some way or another.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can't be with me tonight.  We should split up when it gets dark."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou and Sugawara </span>
  <span>ate</span>
  <span> their </span>
  <span>fish </span>
  <span>in silence.  Again, awkward but needed.</span>
</p><p><span>Sugawara didn't know why Tendou </span><span>had</span><span> suggested they split up when it got dark, but he didn't reject the idea.  The only </span><span>problem</span><span> was that it would make more sense for them to </span><span>stay</span><span> together even if they didn't like each other</span><span>:</span> <span>they had a</span><span> better chance </span><span>of</span><span> survival.</span></p><p>
  <span>Tendou ate 3 </span>
  <span>fish </span>
  <span>after asking Sugawara if he wanted the last one.  To be honest, Sugawara didn't have much of an appetite after he realized that he really would be staying a whole night out in the wild, potentially alone.  Even though he could handle it didn't mean he wanted to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sun was getting lower too, and sunset was approaching.   Tendou seemed to be getting more anxious, checking the sun every few minutes like he was keeping track of where it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara, I really think we should split up.  Please."  This might be the first time he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> heard Tendou say </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>please,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> and it sounded like begging at this point.  Sugawara didn't want to be alone</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though </span>
  <span>- the </span>
  <span>forest had a lot of different creatures and animals in it.  At least if he had Tendou, he had something to </span>
  <span>offer </span>
  <span>as a sacrifice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why?  Scared of the dark?"  Tendou didn't laugh.  He kept checking the sun, but it was just touching the horizon.  It wasn't even a proper sunset yet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara-""Who did you smell?"  It was annoying </span>
  <span>being </span>
  <span>asked to separate over and over again when Sugawara still wasn't sure if that was what he wanted.  Tendou was a little thrown off by the question, so Sugawara asked again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You said you can smell someone.  You can smell them everywhere, right?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e reminded </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, referring to their first meeting in the forest.  Even though Tendou just mentioned it once, Sugawara remembered clearly.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Who are you smelling?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou seemed to forget about splitting up all of a sudden</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> because </span>
  <span>now</span>
  <span> he was looking down at the fire, his eyes distant and lost in the flames.  Sugawara look</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>down at it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ushijima..." Tendou said softly.  Sugawara did the math in his head </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> then nodded, realizing what that mean</span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>.  Even though he thought </span>
  <span>of </span>
  <span>Tendou </span>
  <span>as </span>
  <span>a terrible human being, now he was on the fence.  He was waiting for which side of the fence Tendou was going to fall on now.</span>
</p><p><span>"Ushijima?  He's a very serious person."  Tendou smiled bright</span><span>ly</span><span>,</span> <span>definitely taking Sugawara by surprise</span><span>. He</span><span> chuckl</span><span>ed</span><span> softly and nodd</span><span>ed</span><span>.  "He is!"  Was it</span> <span>supposed to be a brag?  Sugawara just let him be happy in peace.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I wonder if he's out here</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too...somewhere..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara</span>
  <span> hadn’t </span>
  <span>realize</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> it till now, but Tendou did have another side to him that wasn't shitty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Didn't mean he would forget about all the torment, though.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry for talking about your Gryffindor friend." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The apology definitely took Sugawara by surprise, </span>
  <span>it being</span>
  <span> the first time he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> heard the words </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>I'm sorry</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> from another Slytherin.  It was sort of unsettling, but he took it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think you're apologizing to the wrong person," Sugawara retorted, the two still around the fireplace.  The sun was setting, about halfway down now.  Tendou wasn't checking it anymore, but he could see</span>
  <span> that</span>
  <span> every time it </span>
  <span>got</span>
  <span> a little colder Tendou would gulp and clench his jaw.  Sugawara </span>
  <span>fed</span>
  <span> more sticks to the fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It wasn't right for anyone to bully you for being a mudblood," Tendou mumbled.  Even though it was a little forced, Sugawara still appreciated the effort.  "But I'm not apologizing for saying you don't know shit."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just when he thought they were getting along.</span>
</p><p><span>Sugawara scoffed, rolling his eyes.  Like Tendou knew what it was like.  Pure</span> <span>blooded, Slytherin.  They didn't understand.  They didn't know what it was like.  Sugawara didn’t ask to be born like this.  He didn’t want to be a wizard.  He liked muggle school, he liked not </span><span>being</span><span> away from home - he liked being normal.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Oh?  So you know what it's like to be judged before people get to know you?"  It was a rhetorical question, but Tendou's expression softened.  Sugawara really couldn't keep up with his emotions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I do."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't understand, but before he could ask</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Tendou was already standing up, brushing off his robes and turning around, walking off.  Sugawara sputtered, standing up too without thinking and following him.</span>
</p><p><span>"Wai-Wait!""I said we need to split up at night!"  Tendou </span><span>didn’t</span> <span>turn </span><span>around.  "I'll find you in the morning."</span></p><p>
  <span>Sugawara stopped, watching Tendou's back as he </span>
  <span>walked</span>
  <span> into the trees.  He didn't understand at all, but Tendou seemed determined to leave Sugawara </span>
  <span>once night fell</span>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was he secretly afraid of the dark or some shit?  It was supposed to be a full moon tonight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Promise?  Promise you'll come back tomorrow morning?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou actually turned around this time, looking back at Sugawara.  He stuck his pinky out and grinned - grinned at Sugawara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Promise!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Now, Sugawara wasn't scared of the dark most of the time.  But when you were in the middle of a forest, alone and cold with a puny fire in front of you and strange noises every second - it was a little hard to sleep.</span>
</p><p><span>His eyes were open and he decided he would sleep near the water</span> <span>so </span><span>that</span><span> if anything tried to attack him he would at least have the water and the earth as his weapons - the fire was dying by the second.</span></p><p>
  <span>It must’ve been 4 AM or something by now.  The full moon was high in the sky, shining brightly.  Sugawara tried to count the stars to help him fall asleep</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but he ended up losing count.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he tried spelling Daichi's name in the stars.  Unsurprisingly, every corner of his name was a shining star in the sky.  Everything about Daichi was bright to Sugawara </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> it was a little unsettling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Where was Daichi right now?  What was he doing?  Hopefully he was safe and sound, not out in the middle of nowhere trying to survive without magic.  He wasn't sure Daichi would be okay without magic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Daichi was smart, so perhaps he would survive with ease.  As long as Daichi was safe, Sugawara wouldn't curse the world.  He would gladly watch silently, making sure Daichi stayed safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara heard it.  It started off in the distance, but it was getting closer.  Steps and patters in the leaves and dirt.  Panting.  Heavy animal breaths that made him sit up and look around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Howling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara could hear it - he was sure he heard it.  He stood up, looking around and making sure it wasn't anywhere near.  It sounded like it was getting closer though and Sugawara was not here for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He started walking into the trees</span>
  <span> in</span>
  <span> the same direction </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> Tendou </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span>, a small bit of hope that he would actually find Tendou.  Anyone would do right about now</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He preferred finding Tendou so much more than what he ended up coming face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>face with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Big.  Red.  Panting.  </span>
  <span>Bared t</span>
  <span>eeth.  </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>errifying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>W</span>
  <span>erewolf.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara h</span>
  <span>eld</span>
  <span> his breath, as if making a noise would change </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> desire to eat </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  He stepped back slowly, but the werewolf </span>
  <span>mirrored him</span>
  <span>, putting a paw forward.  Sugawara took another step back, but the werewolf stepped forward again.  He was following Sugawara and it was freaking him out, but he didn't scream.  Screaming would make it worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wolf didn't howl.  It did something even more terrifying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It leaned into Sugawara and nuzzled </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> nose into his neck.  </span>
  <span>Its </span>
  <span>fur, so fluffy and soft, rubb</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> against Sugawara's skin.  Sugawara h</span>
  <span>eld </span>
  <span>his breath again as he hear</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> the werewolf's, even and heavy.</span>
</p><p><span>When the werewolf opened </span><span>its </span><span>eyes Sugawara's widened, realizing what was happening.  Those eyes </span><span>-</span><span> how could he not make the </span><span>connection</span><span>?  They used to glare at </span><span>him</span><span> every day until Sugawara wanted to take a knife and poke them out.</span><span><br/></span><span>They were the</span> <span>same eyes. </span></p><p>
  <span>"Tendou?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wolf whined, nuzzling Sugawara more</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Sugawara h</span>
  <span>eld </span>
  <span>his arms up and accidentally hugg</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> his neck, though the wolf seemed not to mind.  Wolf?  Tendou?  Sugawara didn't know what to call him right now.</span>
</p><p><span>"Tendou...are you...are you-"  Tendou mewled, closing his eyes as he inhaled Sugawara's neck</span><span>.</span> <span>It took </span><span>Sugawara </span><span>completely</span><span> by surprise, but he didn't let go.  Tendou was uncontrollable</span> <span>right now.  He couldn't make any wrong moves.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Tendou..." Sugawara gasped in realization.  He probably didn't recognize it was Sugawara.  He wasn't doing it on purpose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You smell him, right?  You smell Ushijima?"  Sugawara looked down at Tendou</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and whether it was the name or the tone of voice that</span>
  <span> alerted him</span>
  <span> Sugawara wasn't sure, but it got his attention.  That was all that mattered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can you find him?"  Ushijima might still be at Hogwarts.  They might be able to get out of here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can you</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Tendou?"  Sugawara was slow in his motions, petting Tendou as he backed away, carefully walking to the side of the wolf </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>then hoist</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> himself up.  Tendou must have understood,</span>
  <span> because he</span>
  <span> lower</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> himself a bit so that Sugawara could </span>
  <span>climb on</span>
  <span>.  He was now straddling Tendou's back, holding his fur gently so he didn't fall off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was so weird.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <span>Alright, </span>
  <span>Tendou.  Come on</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Sugawara patted the side of Tendou's back - what were the parts of a werewolf's body? - then stroked the top of his head.  "Let's go find Ushijima."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou howled loudly, </span>
  <span>an echo of other howls joining</span>
  <span>. He</span>
  <span> started running into the forest, growling loudly.  Sugawara looked up at the full moon, hoping it would stay up a little longer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This might be their only chance.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Tendou</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tendou remembered everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or at least, what his werewolf version saw last night.  What he could remember.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything smelt like Ushijima.  Everything was Ushijima, but he couldn't pin him down.  At one point he thought he found Ushijima and started chasing him, but then Ushijima split in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> two and started running.  Tendou couldn't find the two bodies after a while and gave up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then he found someone that smelt like Ushijima again.  And this time, they didn't run away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou gasped, sitting up </span>
  <span>when he realized</span>
  <span> that he</span>
  <span>’d been</span>
  <span> around humans last night.  Humans that he could have killed if it weren't for that scent.  He was fairly certain he </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> kill</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> anyone last night</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, seeing as there wasn't any blood on him, not even animal blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were so many Ushijimas last night.  Everywhere, but all in different places.  He couldn't choose just one direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara!"  Tendou stood up, not caring that he was naked</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>hurrying over </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> Sugawara's body</span>
  <span>, which</span>
  <span> was just laying there.  Maybe he did hunt last night.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>That wasn't good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara.  Fucking shit," Tendou shook </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, panicking when Sugawara didn't respond at first, but his chest </span>
  <span>was </span>
  <span>rising and </span>
  <span>falling, </span>
  <span>which </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> definitely a good sign.  He sighed in relief.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Thank god.  He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> gone this long</span>
  <span> without</span>
  <span> killing a human</span>
  <span>: </span>
  <span>he couldn't start now.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tendou?"  Sugawara yawned softly startled when he saw Tendou.  He sat up, rubbing his eyes lazily and stretching.  "Why're you naked?"</span>
</p><p><span>Tendou wanted to laugh.  That was his first question?  Not</span><span>,</span> <span>“W</span><span>hy the fuck were you a wolf at night?</span><span>”</span><span>  Not</span><span>,</span> <span>“W</span><span>hy didn't you eat me last night?</span><span>”</span><span>  Not</span><span>, “C</span><span>an you leave me the fuck alone please before I report you and send you to Azkaban forever?</span><span>”</span></p><p>
  <span>"Ah.  I left my clothes somewhere else..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tendou replied slowly, keeping his gaze down.  Sugawara was looking at Tendou's face.  He started to take his cape off</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then handed it to Tendou.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can wear this.  Until we </span>
  <span>find </span>
  <span>your clothes."</span>
</p><p><span>Tendou's eyes widened and he looked down at Sugawara's cape, gulping.  Usually </span><span>borrowing </span><span>was a good option,</span> <span>until they got</span> <span>his clothes at least, but right now it wasn't.  Ushijima's scent, for a reason he was cursing, was all over these.  He didn't know how far his clothes were and he wasn't sure just how insane he would </span><span>become</span><span> if he wore these for too long.</span><span><br/></span><span>He didn't want Sugawara to see him that way again.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara...about last night-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"You don't remember?  Nothing happened.  You just found me and I tried to find Ushijima, but you kept changing directions.  Next thing I knew the sun was coming out and you were transforming back," Sugawara said, </span>
  <span>draping </span>
  <span>his cape </span>
  <span>around</span>
  <span> Tendou since Tendou wasn't taking it.  He stood up, reaching his hand to Tendou to help him up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's go find your clothes.  You must be cold, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou felt like he was about to cry, but he decided he would save his tears for when they really mattered.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Your hair," Sugawara said softly, breaking the silence.  "It's down."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou didn't know why he looked up </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> it wasn't like he would see his hair that way </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> but he did.  He could feel his hair hitting his forehead, more like bangs and hanging around his ears and the nape of his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, well</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> it's not like I can style it here."  Sugawara actually laughed, nodding his head.  "I guess you have a point."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou wasn't sure if you could call this a friendship, but it certainly was different than what he was used to with Sugawara.  Tormenting and harassing Sugawara constantly wasn't a good way to introduce yourself, but at the time it was what everyone was doing.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tendou wanted to do what everyone else did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How did you do it?"  Tendou asked quiet</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span>, Sugawara turning his head to look at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do what?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Endure it."</span>
</p><p><span>There was </span><span>a</span> <span>silence , and Tendou felt like he</span><span>’d</span><span> asked the wrong question.  He </span><span>hadn’t</span><span> mean</span><span>t </span><span>it in a condescending way</span><span> -</span><span> he was curious.  5 years was a lot of years, especially when it was most of his teenage years.</span></p><p>
  <span>How did Sugawara do it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Daichi," Sugawara </span>
  <span>began</span>
  <span> after a few minutes of thinking.  "He told me it didn't matter where I came from.  I was good and that's what mattered."  Tendou could see a small smile forming on his face, looking forward again as they walked.  They ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't been walking </span>
  <span>for </span>
  <span>long, but it felt like their conversations were dragging out </span>
  <span>longer </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>longer </span>
  <span>the more they talked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He didn't care about who my parents were.  He cared about who I was</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Sugawara shrugged, laughing softly to himself.  "I wonder if he regrets saving me.  I couldn't even get out of the way."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou wanted to tell him that Daichi probably didn't regret it.  That he saved Sugawara with the intention of keeping him alive</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and it wasn't Sugawara's fault he was accidentally targeted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But did he have the right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What were you fighting for?"  Sugawara asked, making Tendou go a little stiff.  "During the Quidditch match.  Why were you fighting Bokuto?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou knew what he was talking about</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>and he wanted to punch himself in the face for thinking about it.  That stupid potion - he wanted to puke inside th</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span> stupid </span>
  <span>vial</span>
  <span> and throw it to the sharks.  He didn’t want to see it again, but he was smelling it everywhere.  It was giving him a headache.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto was being an asshole," Tendou ended up answering.  "We got into a fight before</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> so it was inevitable that we would cross paths again.  Fucking annoying."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara looked like he wasn't convinced, but he didn't ask</span>
  <span> any more </span>
  <span>questions, which Tendou was grateful for.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They found Tendou's clothes right where he left them by a big apple tree that Tendou transformed at.  He remembered </span>
  <span>taking</span>
  <span> them</span>
  <span> off before</span>
  <span>hand </span>
  <span>so that they wouldn't tear and he could put them back on in the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How come you didn't run last night?"  Tendou asked, putting his clothes on and giving Sugawara his cloak back.  He looked up at the tree, trying to decide whether the apples were worth climbing the tree for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, that's because..." Sugawara trailed off, looking up at the tree too.  "Because...I knew you smelt Ushijima.  And I knew it was you.  So I didn't think it was necessary to run away.  You weren't hurting me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was everyone this understanding?  First Ushijima</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and now Sugawara.  Was it a lie and no one actually care</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> about werewolves?  Did he close out the world for no</span>
  <span>thing</span>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No - Tendou ha</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>experienced it.  He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been through the pain of being ridiculed and almost abused for being a werewolf.  For existing.  Maybe it was just Tendou who ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been meeting the wrong people all this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Was that what you were talking about?"  They were both looking up at the apples, clearly both hungry and tempted to climb the tree.  Sugawara took the first step, jumping up and </span>
  <span>grabbing</span>
  <span> onto a branch, hoisting himself up and started climbing the tree.  "When you said I didn't understand shit.  Was you being a werewolf what you were talking about?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou followed him, jumping on</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> the trunk of the tree and koala-ing it one hand after another, his feet following.  They both made it to the closest branch with the apples, reaching for the good</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>looking ones and dropping them on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," he grunted, reaching for more so they could have a good breakfast.  "I'm not exactly cuddled for being a human-eating machine."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara didn't speak the rest of the time they were picking apples, </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> focusing on reaching and grabbing.  Tendou didn't mind their silences anymore, and he noticed they were getting less and less awkward.  For him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> anyway </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> he wasn't sure about Sugawara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they finished and jumped </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>the ground</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> they stuffed </span>
  <span>the apples</span>
  <span> in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> their pockets</span>
  <span>. They</span>
  <span> started eating right away, walking as they munched on their breakfast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You could go to Azkaban for being a werewolf," Sugawara pointed out.  Like Tendou could forget.  "I could report you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn't sure if Sugawara was joking or not.  When he looked over at his face, </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> looked serious</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but he didn't look menacing or anything.  It was just like </span>
  <span>he was</span>
  <span> pointing out some facts - they </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> facts.  That's what scared Tendou the most.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you going to?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> tense silence between them.  Tendou didn't like the look on Sugawara's face, how he was smiling a genuine smile, turning his head</span>
  <span> to </span>
  <span>Tendou</span>
  <span>.  A shiver</span>
  <span> ran</span>
  <span> through his body, but not because it was cold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We'll see."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou realized that Sugawara really did belong in Slytherin.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The middle of the day was the hottest , and with all this walking, Tendou could start </span>
  <span>to feel</span>
  <span> it.  With the heat though, it wasn't exactly that his body temperature was getting high </span>
  <span>- h</span>
  <span>e could handle a little sun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was that</span>
  <span> Ushijima's scent amplified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sugawara, can we stop</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>" Tendou huffed, covering his face and stopping anyway </span>
  <span>before </span>
  <span>Sugawara </span>
  <span>could say </span>
  <span>anything.  He leaned against a tree, feeling like he was gonna </span>
  <span>puke</span>
  <span> his stomach out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, come on, we haven't even been walking an hour."  Which was a lie.  Tendou was keeping track of the sun</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>and they'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been walking for at least 4 hours now.  It wasn't that he was tired</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  Sugawara sweating just made the smell stronger</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and it was mixing with everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it wasn't just that - Ushijima's scent was everywhere in this forest.  He couldn't make out which one was actually Ushijima</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and it was giving him a headache.  He could've found him by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fucking Amortentia.</span>
</p><p><span>"Wait, you actually need a break?"  Sugawara asked concernedly, realizing Tendou actually looked sick.  It wasn't just a feeling - it was taking a toll on his body.  Was it the Wolfsbane?  Tendou wasn’t sure nor</span> <span>did he care </span><span>-</span><span> he just felt dizzy and the air was getting harder to breath</span><span>e</span><span>.</span></p><p>
  <span>Every time he inhaled he could smell Ushijima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Where the fuck was he?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, calm down</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tendou </span>
  <span>hadn’t </span>
  <span>realize</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>he was panting now.  His hands went to his head, pulling at his hair.  Everything was getting cloudy, his whole head going numb.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Where was he?  Where was Ushijima?  Every direction looked the same, every place looked like the last.  Where was he?  Where were they?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sit down, Tendou</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Sugawara was trying to push Tendou down, but Tendou pushed him away, growling.  He gritted his teeth, trying so hard not to lose control of himself, but if anyone smelt like Ushijima it was Sugawara.  Sugawara didn't even know what he smelt like to Tendou!  It would be better to explain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fuck off!"  Tendou screamed, pushing Sugawara harder and burying his face in his hands.  He wanted it to stop.  He wanted everything to stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just-Just fuck off.  Don't come near me.""Tendou, I can-""I said fuck off!  Go, Sugawara!  Just go!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou gulped, turning around and lightly banging his head on the tree, feeling awful and sorry.  It was dangerous for Sugawara to be with him right now</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> he couldn't hurt him - not when he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> hurt him so much already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou whimpered, clenching his hands into fist</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> and rubbing them into his eyes, trying to distract himself and think about other things.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How hot the sun was.  How good water felt.  How the grass was green.  How apples were juicy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ushijima.  What was he doing?  Did he eat?  Was he looking for Tendou?  Did he miss Tendou?  Did he know it was a full moon last night?  Ushijima...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Here</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tendou could feel another cloak go around him</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>and he was basically drowning in Ushijima's scent.  It was almost like he was hugging him, but less nice.  "You can wear it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes watered, turning around and opening </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span> to see</span>
  <span> Sugawara stripping.  He gasped softly, not sure what to say as Sugawara peel</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> off his shirt and placed it on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I smell like him.  Right?"  Sugawara said softly, backing away.  "That's why you can't handle it?"  Tendou didn't respond, just watching as Sugawara took his pants off as well, leaving him there in his underwear and shoes up against a tree right across from Tendou.  He didn't see Sugawara as a shameless person, but he supposed </span>
  <span>being seen </span>
  <span>completely naked broke some ice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll stay right here.  I don't smell like him anymore, right?"  Tendou couldn't tell.  Sugawara's clothes were </span>
  <span>spread </span>
  <span>around and they all smelt like him.  It fogged up his brain, he couldn't stand </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span>.  Tendou fell to the ground, taking Sugawara's cloak and burying his face in it, inhaling deeply and letting himself indulge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was weird.  He probably looked weird to Sugawara</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  He probably looked like some freak </span>
  <span>who</span>
  <span> couldn't handle himself, sniffing up his classmate's clothes.  Tendou felt ashamed and flustered, probably making Sugawara uncomfortable too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he couldn’t do anything else.  He </span>
  <span>didn’t </span>
  <span>care anymore.  He could handle a day without Ushijima, but not like this.  Not when he could feel him around, smell him around, but not be with him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tendou felt like he was drowning, but at least he was drowning with Ushijima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-I can't breath</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span>..." Tendou choked out with a shaky breath, </span>
  <span>un</span>
  <span>able to look at Sugawara.  "He's-He's everywhere.  I-I can't-I can't find him.  He's not...He's not coming.."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou hid his face in Sugawara's cloak so he wouldn't be</span>
  <span> able to</span>
  <span> tell if </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> was crying or not.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>Maybe an hour went by before Tendou could actually stand again.  Sugawara was just sitting there, watching </span><span>him</span> <span>and</span><span> waiting.  </span><span>He</span><span> felt humiliated, but Sugawara didn't show any signs of ridicule just yet.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Sorry," Tendou sniffed, walking over to give Sugawara his cloak back, but </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> shook his head.  "You can have it for now.  You need it more than I do."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>thank you</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> were stuck in Tendou's throat.  He watched as Sugawara </span>
  <span>put</span>
  <span> his clothes back on, shaking off the dirt, and that </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> when he finally noticed </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> bruises on his torso and chest.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He could take a wild guess where they were from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How come," Tendou started softly, getting Sugawara's attention.  He wasn't able to complete the question at first.  "'How come?</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>"  Tendou looked up at Sugawara, seeing how </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> was waiting for the rest of the question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How come you never told Daichi?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara's </span>
  <span>eyes</span>
  <span> widened and he looked away, clearing his throat as he finished putting on the last of his clothes </span>
  <span>before he </span>
  <span>started </span>
  <span>to walk again</span>
  <span>.  It was fine, Tendou wasn't expecting an answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked maybe another hour in silence.  Tendou </span>
  <span>held</span>
  <span> the cloak </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span> to his face the whole time</span>
  <span>. I</span>
  <span>t calm</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> him down as they went about the forest.  It was much better this way since there was only one direction the scent was coming from.  Just him and the cloak, not those crazy different directions he was getting before.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It occurred to him briefly that other people wearing the Amortentia might be around the forest</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p><span>"Daichi is nice to everyone," Sugawara said suddenly</span><span>. It was soft, </span><span>but Tendou was listening.  Sugawara </span><span>didn’t </span><span>look at him.  "I thought he was just being nice to me</span><span>,</span><span> too.  Next thing I knew we were hanging out all the time and he didn't care where I came from</span><span>,</span><span> even though that's all the Slytherins seemed to see in me."  A twinge of guilt went through Tendou, but it didn't look like Sugawara intended for him to feel bad.</span><span><br/></span><span>"If I told Daichi I was getting bullied he would want to help me.  But I don't need help.  I'm not a lost cause.  When he looked at me, he saw a great wizard that could do magic but doesn't need magic.  He saw me as an amazing person and would</span> <span>tell me constantly how impressed he was when he found out I could do something he couldn't.  I was someone he admired."  Sugawara had a sad smile on his face.</span></p><p>
  <span>"If I told him, that would all go away, and he would look at me the way you do.  </span>
  <span>The</span>
  <span> way you all do</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>"</span>
  <span> H</span>
  <span>e finally looked at Tendou, the same smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Weak."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou could understand, but he couldn't imagine it.  Without Ushijima, being by himself was so hard.  He was just lucky Ushijima was the one who found him and stayed with him.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It looked like Sugawara needed an Ushijima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When Ushijima found me the first time," Tendou started saying, minutes after Sugawara </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>answered his question</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> "I threatened to kill him."  Sugawara actually laughed.  Tendou managed to laugh with him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"He told me...that I was beautiful.  And that was a first for me.  What did he see that was so beautiful?  No one else could see it, that's for sure.  I thought he was mocking me, or even leading me on </span>
  <span>so he could</span>
  <span> report me right when I fell for him.  But he didn't.  That's when I realized, 'Ah.  That's just how he </span>
  <span>is</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>  He would've done it to anyone, not just me."  Tendou looked over</span>
  <span> at</span>
  <span> Sugawara </span>
  <span>to see </span>
  <span>if he was listening.  It looked like he was.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"That's when I thought, 'If there's someone who can accept me for who I am - even if it's just one single person - how different would I be?’  I decided that it wouldn't matter if I asked for help</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>or if I begged him to come with me during a full moon</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> or even told him to just stay in my arms and never leave me - he was someone I could rely on.  Isn't that what makes the special people in your life special?  Because you trusted them to be special to you?"</span>
</p><p><span>Tendou couldn't see Sugawara's reaction,</span> <span>looking forward and letting the silence fill the air.  This time it wasn't awkward or tense </span><span>- i</span><span>t was quite comfortable.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Tendou," Sugawara said, the two still not looking at each other.  "I don't think I'll report you."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Lightning struck</span>
  <span>.  Out of nowhere in the middle of nowhere, in the sky, thunder roared</span>
  <span>, t</span>
  <span>hen disappeared.  The sky was clear again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What the fuck?"  </span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span>hey said at the same tme, looking</span>
  <span> upwards</span>
  <span> to see if it was about to rain, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You think there's someone else in the forest?"  Tendou shrugged, continuing to walk</span>
  <span> with </span>
  <span>Sugawara follow</span>
  <span>ing behind</span>
  <span>.  They'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been walking for a while, </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>Tendou wasn't even sure where they thought they were going to end up.  Was Hogwarts even in this direction?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Apple?"  Sugawara offered</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Tendou took it without question, starving after going through lunch with a single apple.  His appetite was big, but he didn't want to complain too much since Sugawara was probably hungry too.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>And Tendou quickly learned that it wasn't that Sugawara </span>
  <span>was </span>
  <span>quiet, </span>
  <span>it was just that</span>
  <span> he was slow to anger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stopped walking to take a break, sitting against a tree and sharing the apple between them.  They had more in their pockets, but since they didn't know when the next time they would find food would be</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> they decided to save </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span> to last at least 3 more days if they ate one for every meal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If Daichi is out there," Sugawara started, looking up at the sky</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>  "I hope he's looking for me."  Tendou raised an eyebrow at him, Sugawara smiling widely and laughing a little too </span>
  <span>mischievously</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Because I'm out here trying to find his ass.  So he better be looking for me</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tendou laughed, shaking his head and burying his face into Sugawara's cloak again.  It was amazing, the scent hadn't faded at all.  </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>he more they hung out together like this,</span>
  <span> the more </span>
  <span>Tendou could understand how Sugawara was put in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> Slytherin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of a sudden there was a rustle in the bushes.  Both of them jumped up, turning around and watched ing as the leaves shook, their eyes widening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What the fuck is it?"  Sugawara whispered to Tendou, but Tendou just shrugged, staring at the leaves moving around.  </span>
  <span>He</span>
  <span> gulped loudly and </span>
  <span>they both put</span>
  <span> their fists up, ready to fight.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tendou really wanted his wand right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But something was weird.  Even though Tendou wasn't holding Sugawara's cloak anymore, Ushijima's scent was</span>
  <span> still</span>
  <span> really strong.  It was like he was buried in Sugawara’s cloak, and he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> done it so many times today that he knew the difference.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The air really smelt like Ushijima.</span>
</p><p><span>That </span><span>was</span><span> when two human figures jumped out of the bushes</span><span>. Their </span><span>eyes widen</span><span>ed</span> <span>and they </span><span>gasp</span><span>ed</span><span> loudly at the sudden appearance.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Tendou."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Waka-chan!!"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Tsukishima</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Tsukki...Tsukki...Tsukki..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima groaned softly, but he could feel someone shaking his chest like they were trying to wake him up.  He cracked an eye open, unable to make out who it was just yet</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Everything was so hazy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His head hurt.  Why did his head hurt?  Ah, he was wearing </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> goggles, not his glasses.  But why wasn't he wearing his glasses?  Because you don't wear glasses when you sleep...Then why was he wearing goggles?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsukki?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima sat up suddenly </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>snapp</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> his eyes open, turning and looking right at Yamaguchi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who was shocked at his sudden </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span>wakening.  What happened?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up, staring at a clear sky and trees all around them.  He </span>
  <span>stood</span>
  <span> up, Yamaguchi following him as </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> started to get a good look at where they were, where he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where are we?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi sputtered, clearly flustered.  Tsukishima couldn't understand </span>
  <span>it </span>
  <span>- they were in some random place in the wild, why was he getting flustered for no reason?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, Tsukishima did notice something else after finally taking a proper look at Yamaguchi</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>who was fiddling with his fingers and looking down all shy.  Tsukishima knew his tricks, what he was doing.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>How he was wearing a red sweater and not a yellow one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where'd you get this?"  Tsukishima asked, stepping forward and pointing at Yamaguchi's sweater.  "You're a Hufflepuff."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi looked down to see what Tsukishima was talking about</span>
  <span>. He</span>
  <span> look</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> up a bit confused, but Tsukishima was </span>
  <span>still</span>
  <span> waiting for an answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, uhm, it's Kuroo-san's.  Because of the Quidditch ga-" Tsukishima was already turning around </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> walking off, </span>
  <span>un</span>
  <span>able to look at that dumb sweater anymore.  </span>
  <span>That</span>
  <span> would explain why it smelt like Kuroo - he wanted to vomit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait!  Tsuki!"  He could hear Yamaguchi coming after him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>wanted to curse himself for feeling good.  This was the first time in almost a year that Yamaguchi had followed him around, and even though they were stuck in the middle of nowhere and Yamaguchi had nowhere to go, it still felt pretty nice to have their routine back.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It would've been better if Yamaguchi walked beside him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you have your wand?"  </span>
  <span>Tsukishima stopped suddenly </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> look</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> back at Yamaguchi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> stopped walking as well, his eyes wide, Tsukishima just noticing he didn't have his own.</span>
  <span>  Yamaguchi shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima waited for Yamaguchi to come walk beside him, but he didn't.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, Tsukki?  Are you okay?"  Tsukishima kept walking, hearing Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>trail </span>
  <span>behind him.  "You didn't wake up for a long time and I don't know where we are."  Tsukishima didn't know either, but they needed to go somewhere.  Even if they didn't hit Hogwarts, any place with more buildings and less trees would be better.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Did you try walking around already?"  </span>
  <span>Tsukishima stopped walking again, turning around and looking at Yamaguchi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who stopped as well. </span>
  <span> Yamaguchi shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima waited for Yamaguchi to come walk beside him, but he didn't.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright then.  We walk."  Tsukishima kept walking, hearing Yamaguchi following him.  "We can't be that far."  It was weird.  Yamaguchi was behind him like old times, and that’s Tsukishima used to prefer, but right now it was annoying.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Are you just going to follow me the whole time?"  Tsukishima stopped walking, turning to look at Yamaguchi who stopped as well.  His eyes widened and Tsukishima realized how it must've c</span>
  <span>o</span>
  <span>me out.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tsukishima was waiting for Yamaguchi to walk beside him, but he didn't look like he wanted to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I, uhm, I thought it would be better to stay together," Yamaguchi said softly</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Tsukishima</span>
  <span> could </span>
  <span>see his hesitance.  "But if you, uh, if you don't want to..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima gulped, watching as Yamaguchi turned left then right, like he was trying to choose a different direction.  He wanted to punch himself in the face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just follow me</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then.  I don't care."  He started walking again, waiting to hear Yamaguchi's steps behind him, but after about 10 steps Tsukishima noticed it was silent.  He turned around</span>
  <span> to see</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi just standing there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked so dejected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima walked back, sighing softly and looking at him.  Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> usually okay with Tsukishima acting coldly, so what was the difference now?  They were alone together, weren't they?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was Yamaguchi trying to find Tendou or something out in these damn woods?  Or maybe Kuroo?  Yamaguchi was just standing there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hello?  Yamaguchi?"  Tsukishima waved a hand in front of Yamaguchi's face, finally getting him to look up.  Finally.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was selfish, Tsukishima knew.  It was mean, Tsukishima knew.  It was borderline abusive, how he treat</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi like an unwanted pet while Yamaguchi treated him like a king, Tsukishima knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that's how they worked.  There wasn't any other relationship they had.  They couldn't go back to even that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was looking at him.  Tsukishima was looking back.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsuki.  Am I </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> dog to you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The question made Tsukishima step back, making sure he was looking at Yamaguchi correctly.  He didn't look like he was mad or upset.  It was like he genuinely wanted to know if Tsukishima saw him as a dog.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time Tsukishima was flustered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What kind of question is that?"  Yamaguchi's face fell and he shook his head.  He started walking past Tsukishima </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> the same direction Tsukishima </span>
  <span>had been</span>
  <span> going just seconds ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Never mind.  I was just...I was just asking."  Tsukishima watched Yamaguchi's back, wanting to reach out and grab his hand.  He couldn't form the words in the moment</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You're not a dog to me.  You're my friend</span>
  </em>
  <span>,”</span>
  <span> he wanted to say.  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>And hopefully more than a friend.  But you</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>r</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> eyes are on someone else.  I want to make sure you only look at me</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” B</span>
  <span>ut Tsukishima couldn't even open his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yama-" Yamaguchi turned around right away.  He couldn't lie, </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> kind of was like a dog.  And</span>
  <span> he </span>
  <span>was cute like one.  Tsukishima knew what the question was referring to</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, so he couldn't answer it properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was looking at him, waiting for Tsukishima to say something.  Tsukishima </span>
  <span>caught</span>
  <span> up with </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, then </span>
  <span>kept</span>
  <span> walking.  After 5 steps, Yamaguchi started walking too, trailing behind </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was pissing Tsukishima off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you don't want to be a dog</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then walk beside me!"  Tsukishima snapped, turning to see Yamaguchi's eyes wide, startled at the sudden words.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima wanted to punch himself in the face again.  Was it because Yamaguchi was wearing a scarlet red sweater </span>
  <span>that belonged to Kuroo</span>
  <span>?  Was it because they were alon</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span> in the forest and Tsukishima could attack him any second?  Was it because Yamaguchi was finally talking to him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Either way</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Tsukishima cringed very hard every time he opened his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So why did Yamaguchi look so excited suddenly?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay!"  His voice was eager </span>
  <span>and he</span>
  <span> start</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> to walk again, waiting for Tsukishima.  Was that all he wanted?  To walk beside Tsukishima instead of behind?  He could've done that this whole time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima wanted to scream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's go, Tsukki!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They </span>
  <span>had been </span>
  <span>walking for a while</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and now it was the middle of the day.  They decided to rest under some shady trees, sitting down beside each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't changed at all, yet he was a completely different person.</span>
</p><p><span>"Kenma is helping me with my project, but to be honest I don't know much about werewolves. I don't think I need to know a lot about them, but someone told me that they're more common than we think.  I heard they could</span> <span>go to Azkaban </span><span>just for</span><span> being </span><span>alive</span><span> and we should report them right away.  What do you think, Tsuki?"</span></p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima looked up, enjoying Yamaguchi's voice beside him.  "Werewolves...I don't know.  I've never met one."  </span>
  <span>His</span>
  <span> answers were still curt</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi nodded, smiling softly and looking </span>
  <span>up </span>
  <span>at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  Tsukishima pretended he couldn't see it, but there was a warm feeling inside as Yamaguchi stared at him.  It was sort of like before, when they were kids.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Except t</span>
  <span>his time, Yamaguchi was beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I feel bad.  I'm sweating in Kuroo's clothes."  Tsukishima gritted his teeth at the name.  He wasn’t fond of Kuroo </span>
  <span>even without </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi being associated with </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, but now that they were sharing clothes, it was pissing him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He has a boyfriend," Tsukishima reminded him casually.  He hated the confused look on Yamaguchi's face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know that."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"If you know</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then stop obsessing over him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi's face went pink</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>which Tsukishima hated too.  Why was he blushing?  Other boys shouldn't be making him blush.  Yamaguchi blushed when Tsukishima was too close or passively praised him - now all of a sudden just the mention of another boy was making him flustered?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is that what it looks like?"  Tsukishima turned his head to look at Yamaguchi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who was now pouting </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> slouching against the tree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima wanted to kiss the pout off his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I mean, you're with him a lot</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tsukishima shrugged, trying to stay calm right now.  Tsukishima was a calm person.  He would stay calm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know.  I didn't plan it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though," Yamaguchi said, still pouting as he looked down at the grass.  Tsukishima was looking away by now, but he could imagine the look on Yamaguchi's face.  The same face he had when Tsukishima said he was too busy to play with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wish I could spend more time with Tsukki."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I want to spend more time with you</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>,</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> too</span>
  </em>
  <span>,”</span>
  <span> was what Tsukishima wanted to say.  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I miss you so much and now you're here with me.  I want it to stay like this.  Can't we</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's go," Tsukishima ended up saying, standing up and brushing the dirt off his robes.  "The faster we get to Hogwarts</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> the better."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi followed him like usual.  Tsukishima hoped that they were still a ways away from Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Hungry.  So damn hungry.  Tsukishima was hungry, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> he wondered if Yamaguchi was</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  Yamaguchi looked fine</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, happy even.  </span>
  <span>Was </span>
  <span>it </span>
  <span>because he was </span>
  <span>standing beside Tsukishima?</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>If so, </span>
  <span>then</span>
  <span> Tsukishima would let him stand beside him for the rest of their lives.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsukki, is that your stomach?"  Yamaguchi asked</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> making Tsukishima a bit red.  Was it that loud?  How embarrassing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sure we can find something," Yamaguchi mumbled, stopping and looking around.  There was no sign of water near them, and everywhere was </span>
  <span>just </span>
  <span>trees.  What did Yamaguchi want to do?  Kill a squirrel?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's fine</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tsukishima waved his hand in the air </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> reassur</span>
  <span>e </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  "I can live with skipping a few meals."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi pursed his lips, shaking his head.  "No.  You'll faint."  Tsukishima wanted to protest</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but Yamaguchi was already determinedly looking for something to eat for him.  Tsukishima felt a twist in his stomach, unable to decipher whether it was shame or falling in love.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn't sure what the difference was yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yamaguchi, you don't have to-""I found something!"  Yamaguchi exclaimed excitedly, running through the trees.  Tsukishima just sighed, running after</span>
  <span> him</span>
  <span>, easily catching up to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Careful!  Yamaguchi, you might fall!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's fine!  I see a bush full of berrie-" There was a loud thud and a groan</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Tsukishima r</span>
  <span>an</span>
  <span> faster when he saw Yamaguchi face</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>planting on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"For fuck</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>s sake," Tsukishima sighed, running up and kneeling down beside him.  Yamaguchi pushed himself up, his face full of dirt, but he was laughing, wiping the dirt off with his cloak.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Ah.  I wasn't looking where I was going."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima bit the inside of his cheek as he watched Yamaguchi wipe the dirt of</span>
  <span>f</span>
  <span> his face, focusing on his eyes.  Tsukishima took the opportunity though,</span>
  <span> to reach</span>
  <span> up and us</span>
  <span>e </span>
  <span>his hand to wipe Yamaguchi's face</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>too.  Yamaguchi gasped softly, looking at Tsukishima, but </span>
  <span>he just</span>
  <span> continued, brushing the dirt off and soon caressing Yamaguchi's face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their eyes were locked together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You got Kuroo's sweater dirty."  This time Yamaguchi gasped louder and looked down at the sweater</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> which was now mo</span>
  <span>re</span>
  <span> brown than red.  Yamaguchi groaned, trying</span>
  <span> to brush </span>
  <span>the dirt off</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but he was pretty sure that made </span>
  <span>it </span>
  <span>worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mmm, I'll just wash it for him."  No.  Tsukishima </span>
  <span>hadn’t </span>
  <span>mean</span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span> to ruin the moment.  It was too fast - why was Yamaguchi standing up already?  This was the closest Tsukishima ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> gotten to him so far.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Don't go</span>
  </em>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> he wanted to call out to him, but his eyes just followed Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>as he </span>
  <span>walk</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> off the fall.  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>C</span>
  <em>
    <span>ome back.  Where are you going?  Let me look at you again</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Here</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Tsuki!  There's blackberries!"  Yamaguchi sounded so excited, how could he not go to him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was right, </span>
  <span>gesturing to</span>
  <span> a bush filled with blackberries</span>
  <span>. E</span>
  <span>ven after major protests, Yamaguchi tried them first to make sure they weren't poisonous.  Tsukishima h</span>
  <span>eld</span>
  <span> his breath the whole time, but after approximately 15 minutes of waiting, they found out that they were fine.  And sweet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima almost finished the whole bush.  He </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> realize</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> how hungry he was until now, but when his stomach started filling him up he didn't care if he looked crazy - he was so hungry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you not eating lately?"  Yamaguchi asked, looking at Tsukishima with </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> concerned look that Tsukishima couldn't quite understand.  "Sometimes you don't eat properly and you faint.  I was worried you were gonna faint earlier..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah</span>
  <span>, r</span>
  <span>ight.  Tsukishima usually didn't eat </span>
  <span>much </span>
  <span>because he got full quickly.  He wasn't a big food person in the first place, so he didn't mind.  But now he couldn't remember the last meal he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> had if he thought about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You fainted before," Yamaguchi said softly, not looking at Tsukishima.  "And it scared me.  Because that time I couldn't do anything."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima watched Yamaguchi's expression, gulping quietly.  He didn't really want to talk about the past.  He wanted to forget it as much as possible</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> in fact.  But if they didn't address</span>
  <span> it</span>
  <span>, he was scared Yamaguchi would remember it all the time.  It would be selfish to ask him to forget so easily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yamaguchi," Tsukishima said, getting Yamaguchi to look at him.  "I..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I want things to be different.  I want us to talk to each other.  I want to be friends with you again and maybe </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>someday </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>more.  I want to be the on</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>e</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> you're always with, not someone else.  I want to be the only one you look at.</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>..</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>I want it to be us</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Tsukishima </span>
  <span>didn’t say </span>
  <span>anything.</span>
</p><p><span>"Wait," Yamaguchi said suddenly</span><span>. T</span><span>he</span><span>y</span><span> both hear</span><span>d</span> <span>rustling </span><span>through the trees, footsteps of something heavy walking </span><span>near</span><span> them.  Yamaguchi looked around, holding his arms out </span><span>to guard </span><span>Tsukishima.</span></p><p>
  <span>Why was it Yamaguchi protecting him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hear something."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yes, I'm not deaf, Yamaguchi."  Tsukishima groaned inwardly, cringing at himself for the nth time that day.  He didn't have time to self pity</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>though, because all of a sudden a horse</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>like figure emerged from the trees, </span>
  <span>its </span>
  <span>fur pure white and shining, a shiny gold horn on </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> head.  It neighed at them.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Unicorn!"  Yamaguchi was too excited, walking over to it slowly </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> sticking his hand out so that the unicorn could smell him.  It was reluctant, sniffing</span>
  <span> his</span>
  <span> hand, nuzzling </span>
  <span>its </span>
  <span>snout in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> his palm.  Yamaguchi looked back at Tsukishima with an amazed expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come, Tsuki!  It's a unicorn!  A real one!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima knew exactly what the fuck it was.  So shiny, so bright, so perfect.  He</span>
  <span>’d done</span>
  <span> an assignment on unicorns</span>
  <span>:</span>
  <span> he knew exactly what they did and</span>
  <span> the </span>
  <span>criteria to even get near them.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>You needed to be pure of heart.  You needed to be as clean as they were</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>or else they'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> basically stomp you to death.  Unicorns weren't something you could take lightly, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> they weren't easy to capture</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> either.  Unicorn blood could bring back the dead - it would be an insult to life if it were easy to tame one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet here Yamaguchi was, petting it like a puppy </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> laughing as </span>
  <span>its </span>
  <span>head pressed against </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course.  Yamaguchi had a pure heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on, Tsukki!  You might never see one again."  Tsukishima knew.  He knew</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>and he would rather stay alive and not see one for the rest of his life than be called out for his impure heart by a unicorn.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>His dad did that quite well already, thank you very much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yamaguchi, I think you should let him go," Tsukishima said softly, reaching his hand out so Yamaguchi could take it.  "Please.  I-I don't think he likes me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took Tsukishima a little while to notice, but the unicorn was glaring at him.  The little pony knew exactly what Tsukishima was like - how troublesome.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please, Yamaguchi, he doesn't like me," Tsukishima pleaded a little more urgently, noticing the unicorn starting to dig </span>
  <span>his </span>
  <span>hoof in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> the ground like he was </span>
  <span>getting </span>
  <span>ready to </span>
  <span>charge</span>
  <span>.  Tsukishima felt like he should at least be getting a head start.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nonsense, Tsukki.  Your heart is so pure!  There's no way." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima's eyes widened at Yamaguchi's </span>
  <span>assertion </span>
  <span>of Tsukishima’s pure heart, wanting to just burst out in laughter.  That was almost impossible - if anyone knew</span>
  <span> just</span>
  <span> how impure Tsukishima was</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> it w</span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi.  How could he say something like that so easily?</span>
</p><p><span>But </span><span>after </span><span>Yamaguchi said it, the unicorn closed </span><span>his</span><span> eyes, indulging in Yamaguchi's petting</span><span>. </span><span>Yamaguchi laugh</span><span>ed</span><span> at what he probably thought was adorable.  He</span> <span>couldn't look away.  Yamaguchi looked so happy.</span><span><br/></span><span>It was a different happy</span><span> than what</span><span> he showed Tsukishima.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Are you hungry?"  Yamaguchi cooed at the unicorn, holding berries </span>
  <span>up </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>his </span>
  <span>mouth.  "Sorry, was this your berry bush?  We were a little hungry.  I hope you don't mind, but if we ever come back I'll bring you even more berries!  So let us go </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> once, yeah?"</span>
</p><p><span>Tsukishima w</span><span>as </span><span>convinced Yamaguchi had met a unicorn before.  It was like </span><span>he</span><span> was his favourite pet, neighing as Yamaguchi scratched under</span><span> his </span><span>chin </span><span>and</span> <span>fed him</span><span> the berries.  The unicorn seemed to have forgotten Tsukishima's existence completely.</span></p><p>
  <span>"There.  You're a good boy," Yamaguchi giggled, stroking </span>
  <span>his </span>
  <span>mane and back.  He was in complete awe of the magical creature, and if Tsukishima wasn’t scared shitless, he would be</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you for sharing your food.  I hope we can meet again</span>
  <span> someday</span>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The unicorn tapped </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> snout against Yamaguchi's neck</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then turned around </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> gallop</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> away, </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> tail and mane blindingly </span>
  <span>bright </span>
  <span>under the sun.  Tsukishima couldn't look at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, but Yamaguchi couldn't look away.</span>
  <span>  He</span>
  <span> finally turned around, gaping at Tsukishima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can't believe we met a real unicorn!  Hanging out with Tsukki really is the best!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been holding in his frustration the whole time walking until evening with a chattering Yamaguchi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who couldn't shut up about the unicorn.  He was so excited, but Tsukishima still </span>
  <span>felt </span>
  <span>confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And it felt so silky!  Sometimes horses are rough, but it didn't even feel like a horse.  It was like silk!  You should've touched it too, Tsuki, it was so much fun.  It was like I could hear him talking.  He was saying something to me, I know it!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima couldn't take it anymore.  He turned to look at Yamaguchi, stopping and making Yamaguchi stop</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  He looked confused, but Tsukishima didn't have time to explain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you fucking kidding me?"  Tsukishima burst out</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>shock</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> both of them.  He could see Yamaguchi getting smaller, but it </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>just sort of slipped out all at once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You-You think I'm pure?  You said I had a pure heart, but I've been treating you like shit for our whole lives!  I ignored you and told you to stay out of my way, but you still think I have a pure heart?  I'm a terrible person, you hear me?  I'm not nice.  I'm not good, I'm not who you think I am, I'm not-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was out of nowhere, but shocked Tsukishima </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> the same.  He could feel his cheek </span>
  <span>sting </span>
  <span>and his skin </span>
  <span>turn </span>
  <span>red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi slapped him.</span>
</p><p><span>"Don't say that."  His voice was firm, Tsukishima slowly turning his head to see Yamaguchi's face tensed up, maybe the angr</span><span>iest </span><span>this</span> <span>poor, pure boy ha</span><span>d</span><span> ever been.  </span></p><p>
  <span>Did Yamaguchi even get angry?  Tsukishima realized he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> never seen his face that way before.</span>
</p><p><span>"I know you weren't that nice to me when I started going to school, but-but you had reasons!  And you must have been thinking about me too, right?  That it wasn't right to mix with Slytherins because you all weren't that nice.  You were focusing on yourself and that's not a bad thing, okay?  You're not a bad person, Tsuki, you just make choices no one understands.  Even I don't understand!  But at the end of the day you're kind and selfless and intelligent and you always make me feel better even though you don't need to.  You do things for people even if it's an inconvenience to</span> <span>you, and you look out for others even if you're not their friend."</span><span><br/></span><span>Tsukishima watched as Yamaguchi's whole face went red.  Why did he look like he was about to cry?</span><span><br/></span><span>"I can handle people talking bad about me, but I hate it when someone says something bad about you.  Even if it's you yourself, I hate it!  So stop it, okay?"</span></p><p><span>Yamaguchi was panting now, keeping his eyes on Tsukishima, but Tsukishima didn't know how to respond.  He was</span> <span>standing there in stunned silence, gulping as he looked down at Yamaguchi's face going from tensed up to a softened, apologetic one.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Sorry..</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>"  Yamaguchi muttered, turning around and walking again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Tsukishima ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> the courage Yamaguchi had, maybe right now h</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span> and Yamaguchi would be holding hands instead of staying 5 feet apart.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>It was getting darker</span><span>, </span><span>and the two were trying to find a place to sleep.  They </span><span>hadn’t</span><span> talk</span><span>ed</span><span> for a good chunk of their </span><span>walk</span><span> except for Tsukishima asking if Yamaguchi wanted to stop for the day.  When the sun started setting, they found a dry spot under a big tree</span> <span>to</span><span> rest</span><span>.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Tsukki," Yamaguchi said softly.  He looked nervous, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> Tsukishima fe</span>
  <span>lt </span>
  <span>nervous all of a sudden as well for no reason.  Yamaguchi was hesitant, especially when Tsukishima looked at him cold</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure you want to sleep beside me?"</span>
</p><p><span>“</span><em><span>Fuck yeah I do, do you know how long I've waited for this</span></em><span>?</span><span>”</span><span> was what Tsukishima thought</span> <span>first, but he </span><span>cleverly</span><span> decided not to say that out loud.  Instead </span><span>he </span><span>nodded, leaning his back against the tree and sighing.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Yeah.  What's the big deal?"  Tsukishima took his goggles off and</span>
  <span> stashed</span>
  <span> them inside his robe, closing his eyes so he couldn't see Yamaguchi's </span>
  <span>expressions</span>
  <span>.  He wasn't in the mood to see his flustered face blushing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh.  Okay..." He could hear Yamaguchi shuffling around and laying down.  Tsukishima cracked an eye open to see where </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> was, furrowing his eyebrows at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why are you so far?"  Yamaguchi sat up, looking at Tsukishima and stuttering with embarrassment.  Tsukishima bit back a groan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Yamaguchi chuckle</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>, making Tsukishima open his eyes properly.  Without his goggles on he couldn't make out Yamaguchi's face properly, but he didn't mind.  He could imagine what he </span>
  <span>probably</span>
  <span> looked like right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why would I be uncomfortable?" </span>
</p><p><span>He could</span> <span>practically</span><span> hear </span><span>Yamaguchi </span><span>panic in the silence.  It was like Yamaguchi was trying to find</span> <span>an excuse in the grass.</span><span><br/></span><span>No.  He was trying to word it.  Which confused Tsukishima even more</span><span>, </span><span>since there was </span><span>no</span><span> reason for Tsukishima to be uncomfortable.  If anything, Yamaguchi should be uncomfortable sleeping around him.</span></p><p>
  <span>"'Why?'" Yamaguchi repeated softly</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Tsukishima</span>
  <span> could </span>
  <span>tell that Yamaguchi was looking at him now, but he couldn't see the face he was making.  All of a sudden he wished he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because I like Tsukki."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Yamaguchi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Yamaguchi knew he was stupid, but he didn't think he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> stupid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I like Tsukki</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>”</span>
  </em>
  <span> - stupid, stupid, stupid.  He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> finally got</span>
  <span>ten</span>
  <span> a chance to talk to Tsukishima again and this was how he used it.  Tsukishima was </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> trying to get out of the forest and go back to Hogwarts, but Yamaguchi just had to bring </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> feelings into this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt so stupid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> probably why Tsukishima </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> look</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> away, not responding.  The sun wasn't even completely down yet and Tsukishima wanted to sleep.  Yamaguchi felt so stupid, he wanted to hide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't say anything else, just looking at Tsukishima's back, not wanting to lose sight of him.  He felt like he was going to explode any minute </span>
  <span>with</span>
  <span> Tsukishima mere inches away from </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It might be a little unhealthy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi felt like today there was something different about Tsukishima that he couldn't quite pin down.  Probably because they were in the middle of the forest with nowhere else to go, forcing Tsukishima to be stuck with him again, but there was something else.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tsukishima was restless.  Which was weird for</span>
  <span> him</span>
  <span> considering how calm he was most of the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi wished he could read minds at times like this.  Even though he felt like he knew </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, maybe it'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been so long that he </span>
  <span>completely</span>
  <span> forgot what Tsukishima was like.  Ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> he changed a lot?  At first it didn't seem like it </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>Tsukishima seemed to be the same smart, cool person he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> always been.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now he let Yamaguchi stand beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The full moon was high up in the sky, giving them lots of light.  Yamaguchi could see Tsukishima's breathing even out and his body relax after falling asleep.  Yamaguchi couldn't fall asleep</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being so close to Tsukishima like this</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>he thought his heart would burst.  Surely it would, especially if Tsukishima moved to face him.  It was making him insanely nervous.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when would an opportunity like this come again?  Having Tsukishima beside him, not pushing him away.  Yamaguchi couldn't not take advantage of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Yamaguchi watched his back.  It wasn't that different from school, sitting behind him in class or subconsciously following </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> in the hallway.  It even looked the same </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> when he would just walk behind Tsukishima like a puppy - the view was the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet Yamaguchi still wished that maybe he might be able to find a difference one day.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There was howling that night.  It seemed distant, not close enough to harm them, but Yamaguchi could still hear it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yamaguchi."  The sudden call made him yelp, but he calmed down when he remembered it was just Tsukishima.  He relaxed, letting out a soft breath.  "Yeah?""Why aren't you sleeping?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi gulped at the question, feeling a little embarrassed, but Tsukishima couldn't see him blushing.  His back was still to Yamaguchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm just...thinking."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"About?"  This might be the most questions Tsukishima ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> asked him in a conversation.  It was making Yamaguchi a little flustered, but he didn't mind.  Was Tsukishima thinking about him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsukki, I guess.  Just life."</span>
</p><p><span>"Go to sleep.  It'll be troublesome if you get tired tomorrow."  Yamaguchi gulped again, knowing Tsukishima was right, but he couldn't fall asleep</span> <span>easily.</span></p><p>
  <span>His heart was still beating rapidly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry Tsukki," Yamaguchi whispered softly, trying to close his eyes and hopefully fall asleep soon</span>
  <span>. E</span>
  <span>ven just a little bit of rest would be okay.  He promised himself he wouldn't cause Tsukishima any trouble by being tired tomorrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could hear it.  Tsukishima was moving.  He was moving closer to Yamaguchi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi squeezed his eyes shut </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>eld </span>
  <span>his breath, expecting to get pinched or something for not being asleep yet.  He was really trying to go to sleep!  But Tsukishima was so close and his heart was beating so fast it was about to pound out of his chest and he could feel his lungs tightening at the thought of </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>next few conversations being the last ones he would </span>
  <span>ever </span>
  <span>have with Tsukishima - he had to choose his words wisely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why do you like me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi snapped his eyes open, gasping loudly when</span>
  <span> he saw</span>
  <span> Tsukishima's face just an inch away from his.  If he thought his heart was pounding loudly </span>
  <span>before</span>
  <span>, right now he was about to have a heart attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wai-Wait-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Why do you like me?"  Tsukishima asked again, his voice </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> aggressive as his face.  His eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were </span>
  <span>tight</span>
  <span> - he looked like he needed the answer right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, well..." Yamaguchi felt his face go red.  The question was so sudden, and Tsukishima was so close.  If he leaned up their lips would touch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why do you like me?"  Tsukishima's voice was more urgent now, like Yamaguchi had to answer in the next 2 minutes or else the world would end.  He didn't have enough time to go through everything</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>though!  That would take a whole </span>
  <span>lifetime</span>
  <span>!</span>
</p><p><span>"Because!  Because Tsukki is Tsukki.  And-And Tsukki is the only one for me."  Yamaguchi flinched, not knowing if that was a good enough answer for Tsukishima.  It wasn't very factual, and Tsukishima liked facts.  He didn't like</span> <span>when Yamaguchi was too vague with things, but Yamaguchi really couldn't go through the whole list of what he liked about Tsukishima.</span><span><br/></span><span>That list was too long for both of them.</span></p><p>
  <span>"And be-because Tsukki is-""Enough."  Tsukishima backed away, but when he laid down this time it was closer to Yamaguchi this time.  "I've heard enough."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi felt stupid again.  Stupid, stupid, stupid - Tsukishima probably thought he was stupid now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until Tsukishima took Yamaguchi's hand.  </span>
  <span>At</span>
  <span> first </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>thought it was an accident, but then Tsukishima didn't let go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was holding Yamaguchi's hand.  Willingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, Tsukki-?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sh."  Tsukishima closed his eyes, squeezing his hand around Yamaguchi's.  "If you say something cute I'll let go."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi really wished he knew what qualified as </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>cute</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  <span> because there was so much he wanted to say.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When he woke up, Tsukishima was gone from his side.  Yamaguchi quickly got up, looking around to see if </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> left, but his heart settled when he saw </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> back not too far away.  He got up and walked over to him, reluctant, but he did it.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>His arms </span>
  <span>snaked </span>
  <span>around Tsukishima's waist and back-hugged him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh. You're awake now."  The sun was rising, the oranges, yellows and pinks mixing beautifully together, but the sunrise </span>
  <span>c</span>
  <span>ouldn't compare to Tsukishima looking at it.  Yamaguchi couldn't </span>
  <span>focus</span>
  <span> on anything else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can feel your heartbeat thumping on my back.  Are you about to have a stroke?"  Yamaguchi blushed, letting go </span>
  <span>quickly</span>
  <span> and laughing nervously.  He </span>
  <span>hadn’t </span>
  <span>even notice</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima turned around, finally looking at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  His gaze seemed to be inspecting Yamaguchi, like he was calculating what to do, but Yamaguchi wasn't sure what the options were.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Was</span>
  <span> Tsukishima disgusted by last night?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't understand you," Tsukishima finally said</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> making Yamaguchi a bit confused, but he didn't have time to ask.  "I don't understand why you like me considering the past</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>well, forever."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi didn't want Tsukishima</span>
  <span> to talk </span>
  <span>bad about himself again.  It annoyed Yamaguchi whenever someone talked bad about Tsukishima, whether it was about his personality or skills </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> he hated it all!</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Even if it was Tsukishima himself.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Wasn't it normal to hate when someone </span>
  <span>spoke</span>
  <span> ill of someone you loved?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But still</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Tsukishima stepped closer to Yamaguchi, looking down at him</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> leaning in.  Yamaguchi's breath hitched, the lack of space between him and Tsukishima making him even more nervous.  He didn't want to back away.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I feel like if I keep questioning it you might realize why I'm confused.  So I think I'll stop asking and just warn you."  Yamaguchi furrowed his eyebrows questioningly at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, unsure what that meant, but he didn't have time to be confused anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima grabbed Yamaguchi's chin with his thumb and index finger, tilting </span>
  <span>his face</span>
  <span> up.  Yamaguchi hiccuped nervous</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span>, unable to look away from Tsukishima's eyes</span>
  <span>, which</span>
  <span> were staring intensely in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> his.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He might actually die today, it seemed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you regret this</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> I'll never forgive you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi gulped, closing his eyes when Tsukishima leaned in.  He didn't know what he was expecting, but it felt better to just keep it a surprise.  He was shocked when Tsukishima started laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes opened as he look</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> up at Tsukishima</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who was covering his mouth as he laughed, shaking his head.  It </span>
  <span>made </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi even more embarrassed for thinking something else was coming, unsure of what he was waiting for</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> anyway.  Did he want Tsukishima to kiss him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Short answer</span>
  <span>:</span>
  <span> yes.  Long answer</span>
  <span>:</span>
  <span> he only want</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> Tsukishima to kiss him when he was ready, not just because </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> wanted </span>
  <span>him to</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So-Sorry, I, uh, Tsukki was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>cool right now.  I was expecting too much, right?"  Yamaguchi laughed nervously, turning his head away.  As the sun rose higher he felt like Tsukishima could problem see him turning red now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima stopped laughing, looking at Yamaguchi again with that intense stare.  </span>
  <span>Had</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi sa</span>
  <span>id</span>
  <span> something wrong again?  This romance stuff was more complicated than he thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know I said if you say something cute I would let you go.  But</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>" Tsukishima tightened his arm around Yamaguchi, making him yelp and hiccup once </span>
  <span>again</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dang.  Tsukishima without glasses was dangerous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm starting to think that there are better ways to punish you."</span>
</p><p><span>Yamaguchi's mind went blank</span><span>. He</span><span> clos</span><span>ed</span><span> his eyes as he felt Tsukishima lean down, pressing his lips against Yamaguchi’s.  He didn't know what he was doing </span><span>and</span><span> just follow</span><span>ed</span><span> Tsukishima like always, kissing him back.  Yamaguchi reached up</span><span>, tangl</span><span>ing his hand in Tsukishima's hair, pulling him down closer.  It might be</span> <span>inexperienced and sloppy, but Yamaguchi was eager to learn more.</span></p><p>
  <span>This was his first kiss</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> wouldn't have wanted it with anyone else.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you hungry?"  Tsukishima asked, the two having walked together for a few hours now.  It was the middle of the day </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> the sun </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> high in </span>
  <span>the sky</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and they still ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't eaten anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not really."  How could Yamaguchi focus on his stomach when his heart was about to drop into it</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>  Tsukishima kept acting all cool - cooler than usual - and Yamaguchi was witnessing it right in front of him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't fair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then there was the glasses situation.  Tsukishima said the goggles hurt his head since they were tightened so much</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and even though it was hard to see he claimed he trusted Yamaguchi enough to lead them around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That wasn't the problem</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  Yamaguchi's main concern wasn't Tsukishima's vision - it was the way he looked without his glasses on.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He couldn't look at Tsukishima properly without wanting to stare at him all day.</span>
</p><p><span>"I'm hungry," Tsukishima sighed, looking around to see if </span><span>there was </span><span>another berry bush around.  But it seemed that</span> <span>there </span><span>were </span><span>only trees and grass and dirt.  Yamaguchi was </span><span>suddenly </span><span>concerned about food, not wanting Tsukishima to faint.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Maybe there's something around," Yamaguchi hummed, turning around and search</span>
  <span>ing </span>
  <span>for something to eat.  The first time he found berries was an accident</span>
  <span>; he didn’t expect </span>
  <span>to find </span>
  <span>them again</span>
  <span> so easily.  He hoped his luck wouldn't run out today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, look!"  Yamaguchi exclaimed excitedly, looking up and pointing to show Tsukishima.  A pear tree.  Yamaguchi was feeling better and better as the hours went by.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Today was really his favourite day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How are we gonna-" Yamaguchi was already jumping, </span>
  <span>grabbing onto a </span>
  <span>branch and hoisting himself up.  If Tsukishima wanted to eat, Yamaguchi would feed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait!  Yamaguchi, don't fall!""It's fine!  I've climbed trees before!"  Yamaguchi's stomach did a flip </span>
  <span>when </span>
  <span>Tsukishima expressed his worry, wanting to giggle like a </span>
  <span>schoolgirl</span>
  <span>.  Unfortunately, he was too busy picking pears and dropping them to Tsukishima to have his moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is that enough, Tsukki?"  Yamaguchi asked, looking down to see Tsukishima holding about 10 pears in his arms.  Tsukishima looked up </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>nodd</span>
  <span>ed, </span>
  <span>making Yamaguchi smile.  He jumped down with ease, grinning at Tsukishima </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>taking a pear </span>
  <span>for</span>
  <span> himself.  Tsukishima looked like he was shocked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where did you learn how to climb a tree?"  He didn't see how that was important, but he liked </span>
  <span>it </span>
  <span>when Tsukishima asked him questions.  It looked like Tsukishima was interested in him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, Kuroo taught me!"  Yamaguchi replied excitedly.  "He said sometimes in Quidditch you might lose control and get stuck in a tree, and there won't be anyone to save you because everyone's too busy with the game.  So he taught me how to climb up and down one."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima clenched his jaw, but Yamaguchi didn't see it.  All of a sudden Tsukishima stopped walking and Yamaguchi stopped too, looking back at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> a bit confused</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's wrong?"  Tsukishima looked like he was glaring.  "Tsukki?""You're stupid</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>" Tsukishima huffed.  Yamaguchi was surprised, but he was more focused on the fact that Tsukishima seemed angry.  What did he do now?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kuroo did that to spend time with you."</span>
</p><p><span>Yamaguchi's eyes went wide, sputtering out nonsense.  That was impossible!  Kuroo wouldn't have done that on purpose!  If anything, he would have done that with Kenma.  Kuroo liked Kenma!  And Kenma liked Kuroo and they were dating.  To top it off, Yamaguchi liked Tsukishima!  Kuroo was</span> <span>being a considerate friend.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Don't talk about other guys anymore.  It pisses me off," Tsukishima said as he kept </span>
  <span>walking, and </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi's eyes follow</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> him in stunned silence.  He finally found it in him to move and walk beside Tsukishima, a little flustered but more confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, wa-wait, Tsukki!  I didn't mean to!  You know I only think about you-" Tsukishima stopped again </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>turn</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> to look at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  Yamaguchi stopped too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What did I say about saying something cute?"</span>
</p><p><span>Yamaguchi's eyes went wide</span><span>,</span> <span>and he</span><span> gulp</span><span>ed</span><span> as he watched Tsukishima walk</span> <span>closer</span><span>. H</span><span>e lean</span><span>ed</span><span> down, their faces</span> <span>only centimetres apart.  Yamaguchi held his breath, waiting for Tsukishima to kiss him.</span></p><p>
  <span>But he didn't.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I started the last one.  You start this one."  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi's whole face turned as red as his (technically Kuroo's) sweater.  He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> always wanted to kiss Tsukishima, and now he actually had permission to?  His heart leapt from his chest to his throat</span>
  <span>, and </span>
  <span>he was left speechless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm waiting."  Tsukishima raised an eyebrow at him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima without glasses was dangerous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi closed his eyes and closed the gap between </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span>, kissing him for the second time that day.  If 9</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>year</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>old </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi </span>
  <span>could see</span>
  <span> him right now </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>would</span>
  <span> be</span>
  <span> scream</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> for sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was short but sweet</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi pull</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> away </span>
  <span>to see</span>
  <span> Tsukishima's reaction</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> which was pretty blank for the most part.  Was his kiss not good?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I knew it," Tsukishima whispered, </span>
  <span>straightening</span>
  <span> up again and turning so he was looking forward once more.  "Don't talk about other guys."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Lightning struck</span>
  <span> when the sun was in the middle of the </span>
  <span>western </span>
  <span>part</span>
  <span> of the sky.  It startled both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, appearing one second and vanishing the next.  Like it didn’t happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There's no rain..." Yamaguchi muttered, looking up </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> trying to figure out where it came from.  The sky was blue, </span>
  <span>with</span>
  <span> no sign of a storm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Weird," Tsukishima agreed, looking at the sky </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>then back at Yamaguchi.  "Maybe other people landed here</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too."  He shrugged, but Yamaguchi thought it wouldn't be fun if they met </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Being alone with Tsukishima was fine with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsukki, I don't think I thanked you, but</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>" Yamaguchi started, but Tsukishima didn't look at him.  "For trying to save me during the Quidditch match.  Thank you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could see Tsukishima tensing a bit beside him, but it wasn't a huge reaction.  "So you remember?  You saw?"  Yamaguchi nodded, feeling like </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> might be too late, but it was better than never.  A lot of things happened</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> he didn't thin</span>
  <span>k</span>
  <span> he would get a chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, well, don't mention it."  Tsukishima shrugged.  That's what made Tsukishima so cool!  Yamaguchi couldn't help but be in awe.  He</span>
  <span>’d done</span>
  <span> something so dangerous but was shaking it off like it was nothing - he really was the coolest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <span>I'll do things even cooler than that, so don't think about only that</span>
  <span>," Tsukishima said, </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi widen</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> his eyes slightly.  He could see Tsukishima's smirk from his profile.  "That's what you were thinking, right?  'Tsuki's so cool?</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi coughed, nodding vigorously because even though it was true and maybe everyone knew that </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> was lowkey obsessed with Tsukishima, knowing that Tsukishima </span>
  <span>himself</span>
  <span> knew was a bit unnerving.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe because now Tsukishima was acting cooler than ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsuki," Yamaguchi said softly </span>
  <span>as he</span>
  <span> stopp</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span>.  Tsukishima stopped too, looking over at </span>
  <span>him </span>
  <span>and waiting for him to say something.  Yamaguchi couldn't help but stare.  He</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> never thought he would have an opportunity like this</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>and even more, Tsukishima was okay with it.  He felt like his mind couldn't think of anything else anymore, he couldn't calm his heartbeat, he couldn't even put into words how happy he was.  Things were different now, and he wasn't sure if it would be like this once they got back home, but even if it was for a little bit, Yamaguchi would be thankful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was overjoyed, wondering what did for something like this to happen.  How he could be so lucky to have Tsukishima by his side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I like you!  I like you so much."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waited for Tsukishima to say something back.  Tsukishima had </span>
  <span>on</span>
  <span> his regular </span>
  <span>unreadable </span>
  <span>blank stare, but Yamaguchi could tell he was thinking. </span>
  <span> I</span>
  <span>f he didn't say it back, Yamaguchi wouldn't be angry.  Being allowed to say it to Tsukishima </span>
  <span>without being</span>
  <span> pushed away was enough to make</span>
  <span> him </span>
  <span>content.  The fact that he had the courage to confess was enough to make Yamaguchi’s life worth it despite its shortness.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Tsukishima smiled, nodding his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I like you</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too, Yamaguchi.  Take this as a warning</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>though.  I don't plan on loving you gently.  Do you understand what that means?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima without glasses was dangerous.  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N - Funny story, I actually wasn't planning to have them together yet XD XD XD But my fingers typed this chapter on their own, so I hope you guys don't mind haha!</p><p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Kageyama</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Awkward.</p><p>So awkward.</p><p>So very awkward.</p><p>When Kageyama woke up, his first instinct was to find Hinata and see if he made it around the same area he landed in the Forbidden Forest, wand broken and broom long gone.  But Kageyama found someone else, and even though he thought it would be fine, he ended up more uncomfortable with every second that passed.</p><p>"We must be far from Hogwarts," Kageyama said awkwardly, trying to fill a silence he wasn't used to.</p><p>Kenma didn't even flinch, looking straight ahead.  "It would seem so."</p><p>Hinata was always talking whenever it was just them two, and considering Kageyama didn't have many friends, he didn't feel the need to brush up on his social skills.  Hinata would make fun of him and say the reason Kageyama had no friends was because no one could handle his cold personality.  At first he didn't see the need to talk to anyone when the other person could do all the talking.</p><p>"So," Kageyama coughed out.  "You're friends with Hinata."</p><p>Kenma nodded shortly, not looking up.  "Yes."</p><p>Kageyama cringed inwardly, groaning quietly.  How did Hinata talk to him?  Probably the same way he’d talked to Kageyama all these years, the one to initiate every conversation and talking so much, most of the conversation was pretty one-sided.<br/>But Kageyama wasn't Hinata.  He couldn't do such a thing.</p><p>"So," Kageyama said again, his third attempt at talking.  "You and Kuroo."</p><p>Kenma didn't look slightly interested in the topic.  "We're dating."</p><p>Kageyama gave up, not wanting to try anymore because he could feel how much he would regret it when this was over.  He would have to give Hinata more credit for being friends with people like them, because this was so hard.  </p><p>How did he always find things to talk about?</p><p>"How long do you think it'll take to get back?"  Kageyama asked, looking up at the sky to see if there was any indication that they were even close to the school, but it seemed they really were in the middle of the forest.  </p><p>Was Hinata okay?</p><p>"If you don't know, then I don't either."</p><p>Kageyama kept his mouth shut for the rest of the day.</p><p> </p><p>Nighttime wasn't better than the day, though.  Their conversations didn't seem to branch out and Kageyama just ended up awkwardly walking beside him until they stopped by a pond.  The water looked clean enough for the two of them to drink from.</p><p>What was unsettling Kageyama the most about this - though Kenma really did look indifferent about everything - was that he didn't look hungry or thirsty or tired or worried.  Kenma looked fine, which was different from what Kageyama was used to: Hinata and his multiple facial expressions a minute.</p><p>"Here," Kenma said suddenly, handing Kageyama a hair tie.  Kageyama looked up, raising an eyebrow a bit confusedly.  "What's this for?"  Kageyama was in the middle of drinking the water at the pond, leaning down and cupping his hands to scoop up the water.  Kenma kept his hand out, though, waiting for Kageyama to accept it.</p><p>"Your bangs," he said, and now Kageyama took it slowly.  "Your bangs are in your face."  Kageyama looked at the hair tie, nodding and watching as Kenma took out another and started to tie his own hair back.<br/>It occurred to Kageyama that he did not know how to use a hair tie.</p><p>"Like this," Kenma said when he finally noticed Kageyama's blank stare, just dumbly holding the hair tie.  Kenma took it, then gathered the front of Kageyama's bangs, scrunching it up and tying t together, leaving a tuft of hair like a little tree.  Kenma nodded approvingly.</p><p>"You can wash your face easier, too,” Kenma said, leaning down toward the pond and using the water to wash his face.  Kageyama followed him, finally feeling refreshed after a whole day of walking, getting the sweat off.</p><p>The sun hadn't completely set yet, but it was cooler now and the two of them were sitting by the pond, not saying anything to each other.  Before it was awkward - now it was a little uncomfortable, too.</p><p>Kageyama hadn’t even had enough time to take in the situation when he first woke up, just walking around and trying to find both Hinata and a way out of the forest.  He found Kenma walking too, and it was Kenma's idea to walk together since two heads were better than one, of course.<br/>Too bad that didn't make a difference, because they just ended up walking, which was what either would've done whether they were alone or with another person.</p><p>Kenma wasn't bad.  He really wasn't.  Kageyama had just been so spoiled by Hinata's talkative personality that now, a moment where he needed to be a little social, he really didn't know what to say.  <br/>He kept telling himself Kenma wasn't speaking either and that he shouldn't be too worried about it, but moments like this would happen where Kageyama would embarrassingly realize that he really was the only one who felt an awkward tension between them.</p><p>"Use your cloak so you don't get your clothes dirty," Kenma told him, taking his own cloak off and placing it on the grass before lying on top of it.  Kageyama did the same, lying down and looking up at the sky, watching as the sun was setting.  </p><p>It would be a full moon that night.</p><p>"You don't miss Shouyou?"  The sudden question stunned Kageyama, but he was willing to answer - it was the first question Kenma had asked in the past 12 hours they’d been together.  He felt a bit desperate for being excited.</p><p>"I-I do!"  he said quickly, forgetting to blush because he was too busy focusing on the fact that Kenma talked first.  "I-I want to find him, uh, if we can.  And Kuroo too, of course."</p><p>Kenma barely nodded, looking up at the sky as well but focusing more on the clear blue turning purple and pink rather than the sunset itself.  Kageyama's eyes were on the horizon, though. He watched as the sun dropped, its rays disappearing as the moon slowly started to come out from its shadows.<br/>Kageyama loved sunsets and sunrises.  Could Hinata see this one right now?</p><p>"I miss Kuroo," Kenma sighed softly.  "I want to hug him."</p><p>Kageyama didn't see Kenma as an affectionate person, but what did he know?  Kenma was Hinata's friend, not his.  He needed to learn more about Kenma, which meant talking, which meant socializing.<br/>So many steps to making friends, he was starting to admire Hinata a little more every time he cringed at his social interactions.</p><p>"How did you and Kuroo start dating?"  Kageyama asked with an awkward cough, wondering if that was a good question.  What were the boundaries he had?  He’d never had to ask these questions before, and it was a little nerving considering Kenma as a person - he had a feeling if he said something wrong he would tell Hinata right away and Kageyama would get teased for the rest of their friendship.</p><p>"Kuroo followed me around for 2 years," Kenma answered flatly.  "This year I caught him."</p><p>Kageyama didn't look at him, but he could see Kenma's blank face in the sky.  "So you confessed?"</p><p>"Sort of.  He's been saying 'I like you' all these years, but this year I asked him to be mine."</p><p>Kageyama wanted to ask how he did it.  He wanted to ask how Kenma was able to say such embarrassing words and be able to show his face to the world the next day.  He couldn't even imagine saying something like “be mine” without cringing everywhere.</p><p>"I don't get it," Kenma said, startling Kageyama again.  Was he more talkative at night or something?  Because it certainly seemed so, and it was taking Kageyama by surprise.  "I don't get why Shouyou likes you."</p><p>Kageyama gritted his teeth, turning his head towards Kenma and glaring at him.  Sure, he wasn't on Hinata's level of friendliness, but that didn't mean Kenma had to point it out!  He thought he was the only one who knew that Hinata was pretty much out of his league, especially on a social level, but maybe it was a little more obvious than he thought.  Hinata might be the only friend he had, but he didn't mind.  He really didn't.</p><p>"But then again, I don't know why Kuroo likes me either."</p><p>Kageyama's face softened and he slowly turned back, looking up at the sky again.  It didn't cross Kageyama's mind at the time that Kuroo and Kenma were dating and he and Hinata were not.</p><p> </p><p>The howling started at midnight.  Kageyama wasn't scared of it in particular, but he had a bad feeling the whole time like Hinata was out there too, potentially scared.  He really wanted to find him, but the Forbidden Forest was huge.</p><p>"You can't sleep either?"  Kenma asked suddenly, making Kageyama jump, but he calmed down in a few minutes, nodding slightly.  "Yeah..."</p><p>"Should we walk, then?"</p><p>Kageyama and Kenma stood up and started walking in the same direction as before.  It was actually nicer at night when the air was colder and the moon shone on their path, not too bright like the sun.  Even the silence was a lot more comfortable.</p><p>"I have insomnia," Kenma said as they walked, looking forward.  Nighttime seemed to be when he talked the most.  "I miss my home.  I have a test tomorrow.  I'm thinking of something.  Whatever it is, makes me not sleep.  Sometimes I sleep too much."  Kageyama didn't know how to respond to that.</p><p>"I'm sorry."  Not the best response.  Talking seemed to be his weakness, but before it didn't matter.  Hinata made up for that part, talking in his place since most of the time they were together anyway.</p><p>But now Hinata wasn't there, and he felt like a child trying to talk to an adult.</p><p>"Uh, you're a good Seeker," Kageyama said stiffly, trying to get a conversation going.  If he were to be honest, though, he didn't have a lot he knew how to talk about.  Since they both played Quidditch, that wasn't a bad thing to talk about, right?</p><p>"Thank you.  But I don't really care about Quidditch that much."  There went Kageyama's gold card.  He couldn't think of anything else to talk about.</p><p>"Shouyou talks about you a lot.  That's why I don't need to ask you anything," Kenma said out of nowhere, maybe an hour after they’d started walking.  Kenma stopped and going under a big tree, with Kageyama following him and sitting against it.  </p><p>"He talks about me?"<br/>"I would dare say only you."  Kageyama felt his face heating up.  His first thought was, “Why?”  His second thought was, “So it's not only me.”</p><p>"I found it annoying at first," Kenma said bluntly, making Kageyama grunt in apology, pursuing his lips.</p><p>"Sorry.  I'll tell Hinata to stop."</p><p>"No.  It's fine." Kenma waved his hand, dismissing Kageyama's comment.  "It'll give me an excuse to talk about Kuroo all the time now."</p><p>Again, Kageyama didn’t realize that Kuroo and Kenma were dating, but he and Hinata were not.</p><p>"You're tired, right?"  Kenma yawned, leaning against the tree and closing his eyes.  "Sleep, then."</p><p>Kageyama wasn't sure if Kenma was actually going to sleep, but he found his eyes drooping on their own, falling asleep in minutes.  He was more tired than he felt, and his mind wandered to Hinata, wondering if he was okay.</p><p> </p><p>They ended up waking up the middle of the next day by accident.  The sun was in the middle of the sky, burning so brightly that it made Kageyama squint.  They agreed that they would have to find something to eat soon.</p><p>"Maybe we can find something in the trees," Kenma said, looking up hopefully, but the trees were bare of only leaves.  Kageyama was getting more and more hungry at the thought of food - he knew if he was this hungry, Hinata would be starving.</p><p>"Look." Kenma stopped, pointing upwards.  Kageyama tried to find what Kenma was pointing to, but all he saw was a bird's nest.</p><p>"What about it?"  Kenma was silent for a moment, moving closer to the tree.  "It's just a couple birds."</p><p>"...Maybe they have eggs."</p><p>It took Kageyama a moment to process what he meant, but he started panicking when he realized what Kenma wanted to do.  He frantically tried to pull Kenma away from the tree, but it seemed that Kenma had already made up his mind.<br/>He wanted eggs for lunch.</p><p>"Wait!  No, they're a family!  You don't even know if there <em> are </em>eggs!"</p><p>"We won't know if we don’t check."</p><p>Kenma was already climbing the tree, getting closer and closer to the bird's nest.  Kageyama made a weird whimpering sound, looking around to see if there was any other food that he could stop Kenma with, but they really were in the middle of nowhere, and the eggs were their best bet.  Kageyama didn't even know what Kenma wanted to do when they got them.  Eat them raw?!</p><p>"Fuck!"  Kenma shouted when the mama bird started flying all around him, attacking him.  But what did he expect?  He literally attacked their nest!</p><p>Kenma slowly let go of the tree, trying to smack the bird away, and Kageyama watching anxiously, unsure what he could do.  It wasn't until Kenma let go of the tree completely that Kageyama instinctively held his arms out, catching Kenma before he could hit the ground.</p><p>Both of them were shocked, with Kenma holding Kageyama's shoulders to steady himself.  It took them a while to realize their position, Kenma quickly jumping out of Kageyama's arms and coughed awkwardly.</p><p>"Don't tell Kuroo."<br/>"If you don't tell Hinata."</p><p>They tried finding something else to eat after that, but it was proving to be harder than they thought - they couldn’t even find a simple berry bush.  Kenma seemed to be getting more agitated as time went by.</p><p>"It would've been fine if I had something to do," Kenma grumbled, kicking the ground as they walked, his fists clenching with every step.  "But I don't even have a book to read or a game to play.  I'm just walking, walking, walking.  I'm fucking starving."</p><p>Kageyama sort of missed yesterday, when he and Kenma had an awkward silence between them.</p><p> </p><p>Lightning struck at what seemed to be 3 or 4 PM, the middle of the afternoon.  It came from out of nowhere, appearing in the sky for a moment before disappearing.  They both looked up, trying to see where it came from.</p><p>"That looked like-" Kageyama started saying , whipping his head around, "Nishinoya's spell."  Kenma looked at him a bit confused but searched too, trying to remember where it came from.</p><p>"His spell?"<br/>"Yeah . " Kageyama nodded, now walking a little faster, but he was still unsure of the direction.  "He calls it ' <em> Rolling Thunder </em>.’  He made it up and was going to use it for the Quidditch game." Kageyama was now turning his head every few steps, more alert than before.  </p><p>"So you're saying-""Nishinoya must be around here, too."</p><p>With where the lightning came from, he must be far away, but this was one of their few chances to find someone else in the forest.  Forming a bigger group would make things easier and they could work together.<br/>And if Nishinoya was able to do a spell, it meant he had a wand.</p><p>"Hold up, Kageyama," Kenma said, noticing that Kageyama was jogging now.  Kageyama hadn’t even noticed he was moving faster, though, just anxious to see other people.  Maybe Nishinoya and Hinata were together.</p><p>"Kageyama, you're going too fast," Kenma groaned, but Kageyama wasn't listening.  He turned his head, looking for Nishinoya now, Hinata in the back of his mind since Nishinoya gave them a better chance.  Nishinoya had a wand - that damn idiot probably couldn't cast any other spells besides his own.</p><p>"Kageyama-""What if Nishinoya-san was with Kuroo?"  Kageyama asked suddenly.  "Wouldn't you want to find him?"</p><p>Kenma shut up all of a sudden, catching up to him. The two ran through the forest searching through the trees and bushes, trying to find more people.  There were more people in this goddamn cursed forest.</p><p>"Why did they even create a Forbidden Forest?"  Kenma panted beside him.  Kageyama decided to slow down so that Kenma could keep up without looking like he was about to pass out.  "We're students.  A Forbidden Forest seems a little much."</p><p>Kageyama didn't think right now was the best time to question Hogwarts's recreational decisions.</p><p>Kageyama heard it.  There were other footsteps running around.  He stopped, and Kenma stopped too (he had to rest his hands on his knees and pant for a while to calm down).  Kageyama looked around, trying to find out who it was. He could hear the footsteps coming closer and closer, slowing down.  It was a bit unsettling, especially since he couldn't see who it was at first.</p><p> </p><p>"Kenma-san?"</p><p>Kenma turned around along with him, their eyes widening as they saw not only one human being, but two!</p><p>"Yamaguchi."  Behind Yamaguchi was Tsukishima, which did not make Kageyama that excited.  His face fell when he saw the Slytherin, biting the inside of his cheek with a dissatisfied look.</p><p>"Hello, Your Highness."  Kageyama glared at Tsukishima, not finding this a good time to fuck around, but Kenma stopped him.</p><p>"You guys have been wandering around too?  Have you guys-"  Kenma stopped talking when his gaze landed on the pear in Tsukishima's hand.  Kageyama could see him gulping.</p><p>"Is that..." Kenma looked up at Tsukishima.  "Edible?"  Tsukishima looked down at the pear, then nodded slowly.  Kageyama rolled his eyes when Tsukishima was just standing there not saying anything.</p><p>"Give him the fucking pear, dumbass," Kageyama snapped, making everyone flinch.  Tsukishima raised an eyebrow at him but gave Kenma the pear, which he devoured right away.  Yamaguchi seemed a bit uncomfortable with the sudden tension in the air.</p><p>"Should we start walking?" Yamaguchi suggested, starting to walk forward, taking Tsukishima's arm.  Kageyama raised an eyebrow at the two of them, remembering that just a few weeks ago Tsukishima was threatening Yamaguchi in the hallway.<br/>He didn’t really judge, though; he threatened Hinata on a daily.  Still, Tsukishima just pissed him off.</p><p>"Is His Highness okay with us accompanying him?"  He knew Tsukishima was trying to be a bitch, and it was working, because Kageyama clenched his fist again and stepped closer, but Kenma held him back.  Kageyama groaned, trying to shake Kenma off.</p><p>"I'm not gonna walk around with a little shit who's just gonna run his mouth all day."</p><p>"Hey!  Tsukki isn't like that-"<br/>"Oh?"  Tsukishima cut Yamaguchi off, stepping forward as well, raising an eyebrow at Kageyama.</p><p>"We wouldn’t have gotten out of here with your help, anyway.  You're just dead weight."</p><p>Kageyama growled at him, wanting to punch him in his stupid smug face, but Kenma tightened his grip on his arm.  Kageyama finally turned to look at Kenma, glaring at him too.</p><p>"What?"<br/>"It's useless to fight now."  Kenma had finished the pear, throwing the core on the ground.  "If you two keep fighting Yamaguchi and I will just leave you.  If you want to act like dogs, then stay out here like dogs."</p><p>Kageyama wanted to protest - and it looked like Yamaguchi did, too - but he felt something twist inside that stopped him.<br/>He needed to get out of here to make sure Hinata was okay.  He couldn't do that if he was fighting with a lowlife Slytherin the whole time.  So he sighed and nodded, agreeing silently that he would behave.</p><p>"Only if he promises not to be an annoying asshat!"  Kageyama exclaimed quickly, pointing right at Tsukishima.  He hated how he was smirking, as if he’d won already.  Tsukishima didn’t win shit yet!</p><p>"Oh, don't worry, Your Highness," Tsukishima scoffed, tilting his head a bit.  "I'll stay in my place as long as you stay in yours."</p><p>Kageyama gritted his teeth, suppressing another scream. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  <em> Hinata was waiting for him </em> - he kept repeating it to himself.</p><p>"Just...don't piss me off."  Kageyama sighed, turning around and starting to walk, Kenma letting him go.  Hinata was waiting for him - he could survive a few days with an annoying bitch.</p><p>"Hey, Your Highness!  Wrong way!"<br/>"Oh fuck off, 4-eyes!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Kenma</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"You think we can make a fire with just two sticks?  You really are a dumbass."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Shut it!  Hinata showed me, I just don't remember how he did it."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Wow.  Thank you, </span>
  <span>Y</span>
  <span>our Highness.  What would I do without you and your infinite abundance of knowledge."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Shut the fuck up!  And quit calling me '</span>
  <span>Y</span>
  <span>our Highness,</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span> we're literally the sam status."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma and Yamaguchi watched </span>
  <span>from</span>
  <span> the side as the two argued, trying to make a fire so they could cook some of the fish Yamaguchi caught in a lake nearby.  The fish were flopping in Kenma's hands, waiting to be cooked and eaten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But with 4 purebloods who didn't really go a day without magic, it was proving how much they actually relied on magic on a day-to-day basis, unable to figure out how to do things without magic.  Like making a simple fire so they could eat these damn fish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Kuroo was here</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he would surely know how to make a fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're all from different houses," Yamaguchi chuckled, watching as Tsukishima and Kageyama rubbed two sticks together, supposedly to make a spark.  It’s been probably about 20 minutes, but still nothing.  "We're supposed to be a balance, but I guess we're all really different from each other."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma noticed it too, them all being from one house each at Hogwarts.  They were taught that each house was apart of a whole, everyone giving balance to each other and making up for what each other lacked.  It was supposed to make everyone stronger, building an unbeatable team and enhancing each and every strength, making them stronger even.  Each Hogwarts house had something they were known for and when you put them together it would make a crazy amazing group of people that could endure anything.  </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Even if I had a wand right now, I would just shove it up your ass."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Apologies, </span>
  <span>Y</span>
  <span>our Highness, but you're not really my type."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Di-Disgusting!  Clearly you already have one up there because of how bitchy you've been acting!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm</span>
  </em>
  <span> acting bitchy?  You're the one who suggested we use two twigs to make a fire."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma sighed, knowing that they wouldn't make it far at this rate, but he was tired and didn't feel like arguing with them anymore.  He wanted to get out of here, there was no doubt about that.  But if it meant dealing with quarrels like this, then he would rather keep quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really wished he</span>
  <span>’d e</span>
  <span>ate</span>
  <span>n</span>
  <span> more when Kuroo told him to.  Kenma didn't have a big appetite, and usually during meals he wouldn't eat a lot anyway.  Kuroo warned him he wouldn't grow if he kept eating too little, but Kenma would bite back with</span>
  <span>, “</span>
  <span>I like my size.  Kuroo’s hugs feel better like that.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span>  It would shut Kuroo up about his eating habits right away.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But now it’s been over 24 hours and he hasn’t had anything more than a pear</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>he could feel his stomach eating itself.  He probably wouldn't tell Kuroo, but he was regretting not eating properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yamaguchi</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kenma looked at the Hufflepuff, who was watching Tsukishima </span>
  <span>shamelessly</span>
  <span>, redirecting </span>
  <span>his attention</span>
  <span>.  "You've showered with Kuroo, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A blush spread</span>
  <span> across </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi's face</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and he started chuckling </span>
  <span>nervously</span>
  <span>.  Kenma was just waiting for an answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Y-Yes.  But it's not like I looked at him weird!  You know I like Tsukki."  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Everyone knows that</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  <span> Kenma wanted to retort, but he decided to bite his tongue for now.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How big is he?"  </span>
  <span>Unsurprisingly, t</span>
  <span>he question made Yamaguchi confused</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e th</span>
  <span>ought</span>
  <span> about it for a moment, probably trying to remember.  "How big?  Maybe 185 cm?  190</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> even."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now they were both confused.  It took Kenma a few seconds to realize the misunderstanding.  He wanted to laugh, but he didn't do that either.  In fact, nothing about this situation was laughable.  He usually didn't talk much</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but now look at him - he wouldn't shut up.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He wanted to get back to Hogwarts so badly and be the silent self he was again.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not his height," Kenma said</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi furrowing his eyebrows and tilting his head.  "I meant his dick."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi's face went from pink to red, choking as he covered his cheeks in embarrassment.  Poor Tsukishima.  Kenma assumed Tsukishima was secretly a sadistic pervert, but that was just him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tha-That!  How would I know?!  I-I don't look there!"  Yamagu</span>
  <span>ch</span>
  <span>i exclaimed, hiding his face in his hands.  Kenma should've felt relieved, but this was a serious question and he needed a serious answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can't even take a guess?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I just said!  I've never laid eyes down there!"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma noticed Yamaguchi wearing Kuroo's sweater.  It still smelt like Kuroo, so even though he was jealous he was thankful.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma missed Kuroo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why do you even need that information?"  Yamaguchi groaned fluster</span>
  <span>edly</span>
  <span>, shaking his head.  "I mean, does it matter?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma wasn't even blushing.  He didn't think this was a shameful topic.  People did it, animals did it, everyone did it.  What was the big deal?  It </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> like he was asking Yamaguchi to picture such a scene.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When I see Kuroo again I'm gonna ask him to do it with me," Kenma said bluntly, looking up at the sky and sighing.  "I need to mentally prepare for it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  If my assumptions are correct, then I won't be able to take it well the first time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi just looked at him, the same dumbfounded look on his face.  "'Do it?</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>  Do what?"  Kenma looked back at him, wondering if Yamaguchi was doing this on purpose.  When he still looked confused</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Kenma sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sex, Yamaguchi.  I'm gonna ask him to have sex with me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi went back to whining in embarrassment, hiding his face in his arms.  Was he picturing it or something?  He already let Yamaguchi spend a lot of time with Kuroo</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> he didn't want him picturing Kuroo's erotic face too.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>That was for Kenma to see only.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why-Why are you bringing up such things!  And your face is so neutral!  You're not even changing colour."  No, Kenma was not.  Because if he thought about doing those things with Kuroo, it wasn't embarrassing.  It was actually pretty...nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I miss him," Kenma mumbled, looking back up at the sky </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> wondering where Kuroo was.  "I've been reflecting.  And maybe I've been a little spoiled by Kuroo."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> walked with Kageyama last night</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> realized just how much affection Kuroo ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> show</span>
  <span>n</span>
  <span> him through</span>
  <span>out </span>
  <span>the years...and how used to it he’s gotten.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>There was the simple talking that Kenma wouldn't contribute to, just letting Kuroo run his mouth on and on, but then there were the hugs and the cuddles and the hand</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>holding that Kuroo would force him into.  At the time, Kenma thought he hated it.  Then hate turned into tolerance.  Then tolerance turned into like and now he found himself craving it more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah.  Kenma hated being in love.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he wouldn't want to be in love with anyone else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tsukishima, I'm one step closer to cutting your throat and</span>
  <span> ripping</span>
  <span> your voice box out."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Do it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then.  At least I won't have to keep reminding you how stupid you are - oh</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> wait.  Someone else would do that anyway."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Fuck you!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Buy me dinner first."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma sighed, standing up and throwing the fish back in the lake</span>
  <span>. He watched as it</span>
  <span> flop</span>
  <span>ped</span>
  <span> back to life.  This was a waste of time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on," Kenma said, getting everyone's attention.  "If we keep walking we might </span>
  <span>get </span>
  <span>somewhere.  This is getting annoying."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one argued, standing up and following Kenma through the forest obediently.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Did Kenma rely too much on Kuroo?  He didn't think so at first.  </span>
  <span>He </span>
  <span>thought he was quite responsible and didn't ask for help most of the time.  He didn't mind doing things alone and he thought he was pretty independent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But every second that passed, he felt like he was missing something more and more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kenma-san, I'm getting hungry.  Can we look for food?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Kenma-san, I'm tired.  Let's stop for a bit."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Kenma-san, it's getting kinda cold, don't you think?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma didn't get it at first.  Why were they complaining all of a sudden, all at the same time and just had to say</span>
  <span> “</span>
  <span>Kenma-san</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> before every complaint</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>  Were all the other houses </span>
  <span>that </span>
  <span>spoiled?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's when Kenma realised - he was the oldest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, it was just by a year, but that meant Kenma had one year more </span>
  <span>of</span>
  <span> knowledge, and they all probably needed someone to lean on right now.  Usually Kenma would tell them to carry their own weight and suck it up.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But if he thought about it, Kuroo wouldn't hesitate taking care of them.  Being older had</span>
  <span> its</span>
  <span> responsibilities</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Kuroo always took care of his juniors even if they acted a little spoiled, including Kenma.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he could understand Kuroo a little more if he tried it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, let's try finding a place to sit down first.  Uh, maybe we can find a nice tree."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma looked around, trying to get a good look at where they were.   It ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't even been 5 minutes of taking responsibility for other people, but he already wanted to give up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, Kenma-san, look!  There's a plum tree!"  Kenma let out a sigh of relief, quietly thanking Yamaguchi</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e got everyone to go under the tree and sit down together.  He thought his job was over, but then there was the Kageyama and Tsukishima problem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>is Highness too clean for the dirt?"  Tsukishima asked </span>
  <span>snarkily, </span>
  <span>making Kageyama grit his teeth and clench his fists.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"No!  I was about to sit down, but now I don't want to be on the </span>
  <span>same</span>
  <span> level as you.  I'm standing."  Tsukishima just shrugged at </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> reply, humming amused</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span>.  "Suit yourself.  Your legs are gonna give out eventually."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma was making a lot of assumptions about Tsukishima since he didn't know him well, but something was telling him he would be a lot harder to control than Kageyama and Yamaguchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Listen, if you two keep fighting it'll be a big problem," Kenma said in his </span>
  <span>most </span>
  <span>stern voice.  "It's better if you two at least keep quiet rather than argu</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span> all the time."</span>
</p><p><span>The two looked at each other, then looked away.  Kenma wasn't sure if that did something</span><span>, </span><span>but </span><span>at least</span><span> they</span> <span>shut up, and wasn't that the real end goal?</span></p><p>
  <span>"Kenma, catch!"  Yamaguchi said excitedly</span>
  <span>. He’d</span>
  <span> climbed the tree and was throwing</span>
  <span> the plums</span>
  <span> down </span>
  <span>for them to catch</span>
  <span>.  Kenma managed to get a few, and Tsukishima the rest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So now the four of them were eating in silence, awkwardly glancing at each other from time to time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Kuroo were here, he would probably start a conversation, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So..." Kenma started, but he couldn't finish.  He knew he was just a year older and that wasn't a big difference, but he wasn't sure what to talk about.  He didn't know what any of them had in common.</span>
</p><p><span>"What's the plan to get out of here?"  Tsukishima ended up asking</span><span>.</span><span> Kenma </span><span>was</span><span> thankful for a topic, but </span><span>it</span><span> wasn't much he could</span> <span>build on.  Kenma didn't know the answer.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I was just planning to walk till we hit some place," Kenma answered.  He couldn't read Tsukishima's face</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> which was making things even more difficult.  Was he satisfied with the answer?  Or did he think Kenma was incompetent now?  Tsukishima's face was saying either option.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Kageyama's face was similar</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>too.  He couldn't tell what the Gryffindor was thinking unless he was just angry all the time.  It was a little unsettling.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Yamaguchi was the only one who didn't look like he wanted to murder the world.  Even still, he was too content to be stuck in the forest, snuggled </span>
  <span>close</span>
  <span> to Tsukishima's side like they were on a date.  Did he remember that they were in the middle of nowhere?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe this was why Kenma was fond of Hinata and Kuroo</span>
  <span>: b</span>
  <span>ecause they were easy to figure out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's walk again," Kenma said after a few minutes of eating, getting up and having everyone follow him.  "The faster we get out of here</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>the better."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma thought he was a relatively decisive person.  If someone were to give him two options</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he wouldn't take too long to choose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Which way do we go?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma looked between the two paths, clearly split in half leading </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> two different </span>
  <span>directions</span>
  <span>.  </span>
  <span>W</span>
  <span>hen they were walking before, the forest was just a bunch of trees and the direction wasn't clear.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now there was a distinct pathway to follow, a lane </span>
  <span>clear</span>
  <span> of trees </span>
  <span>that </span>
  <span>actually </span>
  <span>led </span>
  <span>somewhere.  It was was a good thing </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> it meant they were closer to civilization.  But that didn't mean this wasn't a crucial choice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's just choose a random one</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kageyama shrugged, already</span>
  <span> heading</span>
  <span> to the right.  "I mean, either way we'll end up somewhere, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima started walking to the left one, Yamaguchi trailing behind him.  "If </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>is Highness chooses right, I'm going left.  I don't trust his gut."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma's eyes widened, realizing the consequences of splitting up in a split second.  If they were to go in different directions</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> they wouldn't know what happened to each other - what if one of them went missing?  They had to stay together.  Being in a group was better than being alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kenma stopped both of them</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e st</span>
  <span>ood</span>
  <span> in the middle of the two paths, looking between them and sighing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma thought he was a relatively decisive person.  But right now, his decision might cost them their lives.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One path would </span>
  <span>potentially</span>
  <span> lead them back to society.  The other could potentially lead to even more trees and mindless wandering. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma was a Ravenclaw.  He could figure this out.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Whichever one we choose, we choose it together, alright?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e established first, but no one agreed right away.  He sighed loudly, dropping his hands to his side</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> and looked back from Kageyama to Tsukishima - Yamaguchi would just follow Tsukishima</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> so they counted as one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> guys, we all want to get home.  It's not fair if we split up</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kenma tried reasoning with them, but no one was agreeing or even acknowledging that they needed to stick together.  Were the other houses really this immature?</span>
</p><p><span>"I'm just saying</span><span>...</span><span>" Tsukishima shrugged.  "If </span><span>H</span><span>is Highness chooses</span><span>,</span><span> the chance of the other option being correct would be 110%."  Kenma could see Kageyama balling </span><span>up</span> <span>his </span><span>fist.  He turned and glared at Tsukishima, </span><span>with</span><span> Kenma sighing even louder when he felt the arguing coming </span><span>on</span><span> again.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Is that so?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yeah.  I even did the math myself."  Kageyama groaned, looking back at Kenma and pointing at Tsukishima with a very accus</span>
  <span>atory</span>
  <span> finger.  "See!  It's not me, it's him!  I never start it!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Like you could," Tsukishima muttered under his breath, a cocky smirk on his face as Kageyama growled at him.  He went from the right path to the left with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, standing right in front of Tsukishima</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> staring him down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You wanna fucking go, smartass?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Hm?  Depends.  If you're just gonna throw punches like some maniac I would rather stay right where I am."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama screamed, </span>
  <span>raising</span>
  <span> his arms to shove Tsukishima, </span>
  <span>with</span>
  <span> Yamaguchi ready to jump in front of Tsukishima to make sure</span>
  <span> he</span>
  <span> didn't get hit.  They looked like they were ready to get into a physical fight this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma couldn't fucking take it.  This was Kuroo's thing, not his.  </span>
</p><p><span>"I give up!"  Kenma exclaimed, starting to walk down the right</span> <span>path.  "Stay here for all I care.  You're immature, then I'm immature too."</span></p><p>
  <span>Not even 5 steps down the path</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Kenma could hear the three of them trailing behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>No one talked as they walked.  It didn't seem like anything was changing</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> there were still trees and nature everywhere.  But the longer they walked</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> the more </span>
  <span>manmade</span>
  <span> the path looked.  It was obvious that trees </span>
  <span>had been</span>
  <span> cut down to make this pathway and that people have walked down many times.  It was a better sign.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The air was tense.  Kenma could feel Tsukishima and Kageyama glaring at each other</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> which made him feel even more pissed.  Did they not think of this as a life</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>or</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>death situation?  How could they take </span>
  <span>this </span>
  <span>so lightly?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or was it just Kenma</span>
  <span>?</span>
  
  <span>Maybe</span>
  <span> he </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> too anxious to see Kuroo right now</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> his mind filled with ways to get out of here.  That seemed plausible as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kenma-san, I'm getting-""If you say tired one more time I'm leaving you here</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kenma cut Kageyama off, making him stop complaining right away.  Of course Kenma felt guilty for snapping at them, but he really didn't see what the big deal was.  If they didn't fight all the time, maybe they would have more right to complain.</span>
</p><p><span>All of a sudden Kenma turned around</span><span>. T</span><span>he three of them stopp</span><span>ed</span><span>, eyes wide.  It didn't feel right.  Kenma was</span> <span>tired too, and hungry, and scared.  He acknowledged</span> <span>he was the oldest, so he had to </span><span>set</span><span> things straight.</span></p><p>
  <span>"You two keep fighting for a stupid reason," he said bluntly </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> Kageyama and Tsukishima.  "It's childish.  Don't you think an experience like this would make you grow up a little?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> turned back around, continuing his walk down the path.  He could hear slow steps following him.  He hoped he was able to get across to them </span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>at least stop fighting.</span>
</p><p><span>"Look what you did," he heard Kageyama mutter behind him.  "Now he's mad."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Me?"  </span><span>h</span><span>e heard Tsukishima reply in an angry whisper.  "You're the one who wasted time rubbing two sticks together."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Maybe if you didn’t try to help</span> <span>then I would've done something."</span></p><p>
  <span>Kenma groaned, turning around again and stopping them</span>
  <span>. He</span>
  <span> glar</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> between Kageyama and Tsukishima, poor Yamaguchi looking a little scared </span>
  <span>behind them</span>
  <span>.  </span>
</p><p><span>"You two are so fucking annoying."  His voice wasn't angry.  Instead it was cold, pissed off, murderous.  Even though he had to look up, Kenma made sure they knew who the fuck was in charge.</span><span><br/></span><span>"If you</span> <span>keep using your mouths for nonsense</span><span>,</span><span> I'm going to</span> <span>cut them off and throw them in</span><span>to</span><span> the sky.  Maybe your prayers will be heard then."</span></p><p>
  <span>Kenma turned around again, muttering curses as he </span>
  <span>stomp</span>
  <span>ed a little louder and fumed a little more.  So annoying.  He missed Kuroo and just wanted to get back to Hogwarts.  All of this nonsense, and for what?  He </span>
  <span>gained </span>
  <span>nothing.  Absolutely nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kenma-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?!"  Kenma snapped, but regretted it when he realized it was just Yamaguchi.  He sighed softly, turning around and softening his expression. "Yes, Yamaguchi?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look!"  Yamaguchi exclaimed excitedly, pointing behind Kenma, a bright smile on his face.  Everyone looked to where he was pointing</span>
  <span>. T</span>
  <span>heir eyes widen</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>they </span>
  <span>even gasp</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hogwarts!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Professor Ukai!"  Yamaguchi wailed, the four of them running to the side of the school.  The teachers were all out scouting the outskirts of Hogwarts.  Ukai's eyes widened but he quickly grinned and waved at them, welcoming them with some hot chocolate and cookies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Another group made it!"  Ukai </span>
  <span>yell</span>
  <span>ed to the other professors, taking out a piece of parchment and crossing their names</span>
  <span> off of </span>
  <span>a long list of students.  Kenma realized that there </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> probably</span>
  <span> been</span>
  <span> a lot more who went missing that Quidditch game.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You boys are lucky, yeah?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span>  Ukai grinned, ruffling everyone's hair </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> looking very happy to see them safe.  "There's still a lot of students missing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is Hinata back?"  Kageyama asked right away, forcing himself to be right in front of Professor Ukai.  His tone was urgent.  "Did he come back?  Hinata, do you know if he's here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma wished he had </span>
  <span>as </span>
  <span>much energy to be concerned over Kuroo.  Of course he was worried </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>he wanted to know if he was back </span>
  <span>safe</span>
  <span>.  But Kageyama took the </span>
  <span>reins </span>
  <span>first and got</span>
  <span>ten</span>
  <span> Ukai's attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not yet," Ukai replied sadly.  "A lot of students still haven't made it back yet.  We have professors in the Forbidden Forest searching too, but there's only so much we can do.  Everyone ended up in different places all around </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> it might take some time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma sighed softly, looking down at his hot chocolate.  He hoped Kuroo would make it back in one piece.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You boys go inside, alright?  Don't worry, we'll have your friends back in no time.  Just rest - you all look like you need it."  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima and Yamaguchi didn't hesitate walking in together, beside each other instead of Yamaguchi trailing behind.  Kenma felt a twinge of envy, but he didn't show it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama was more reluctant.  He looked like he wanted to stay outside and wait for Hinata to come back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Professor Ukai, is it alright if I help?"  Kageyama asked, surprising both Ukai and Kenma.  "I want to help find Hinata."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without considering it, Ukai shook his head.  "No way.  A lot of students went missing</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and we're slowly finding them or having them return.  You just got back from being lost, didn't you?  We can't lose you again."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama looked a little dejected, but nodded, walking in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> the school.  Kenma felt his pain so he could empathize, but he thought it was a good idea not to let Kageyama help</span>
  <span>, too</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor?"  Ukai looked down at Kenma.  "Yes?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did...By any chance, did Kuroo </span>
  <span>make it </span>
  <span>back?"  Ukai looked down at his paper, his lips tightening </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span>to a straight line </span>
  <span>before he shook</span>
  <span> his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, Kenma-kun.  Not yet."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma nodded slowly,</span>
  <span> walking</span>
  <span> back into the school feeling a lot more down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come back, you idiot," he mumbled to himself, but he hoped somewhere else, Kuroo could hear him.  "I miss you." </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Kuroo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Oh</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> come on.  It's not that bad.  I mean, I know we're stuck in the middle of nowhere, but it's not like we're dead yet!  That's a good thing!"</span>
</p><p><span>Asahi was still on the ground whimpering in panic in the middle of the woods</span><span>,</span><span> and Kuroo had no idea what to do.  He</span> <span>found Asahi a few hours after waking up, realizing what must have happened after the Quidditch match.  </span><span><br/></span><span>Kuroo really thought Asahi would have at least been able to walk a few hours without breaking down.</span></p><p>
  <span>"What if we don't make it?"  Asahi asked in a panicked tone.  Kuroo had to suppress a groan, not wanting Asahi to get even more worked up </span>
  <span>if he saw</span>
  <span> that</span>
  <span> his</span>
  <span> attitude was irritating Kuroo.  He just rubbed Asahi's back, letting him have his </span>
  <span>breakdown</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We'll make it.  I bet the teachers are looking for us right now, alright?  They're probably wondering where all the students are.  I'm sure it's not only us in these woods</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>" Kuroo said reassuringly, waiting patiently for Asahi to stand so they could start walking again, but it was proving to be harder than he thought.  Asahi wasn't calming down</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and they were wasting time by staying in the same place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The last thing I did with Noya-kun was fight."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This one, Kuroo didn't know how to comfort him.  He knew if the last thing he did with Kenma was fight and all of the sudden the next day he was stuck in a Forbidden Forest, he would probably panic too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then we should go," Kuroo suggested</span>
  <span> lightly</span>
  <span>, gently pushing Asahi's back encouragin</span>
  <span>g</span>
  <span>ly.  "So you can see Noya again and you two can make up, alright?  Doesn't that sound like a good idea?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi didn't budge.  Kuroo groaned softly, trying his best not to burst out in screams because this had to have lasted at least an hour, maybe even more.  It was probably 4 or 5 in the afternoon</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and the majority of their day ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been spent stopping and calming Asahi down.  He learnt from Nishinoya that Asahi was a little weaker than he looked, but he didn't think it was like this.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Granted, Kuroo might be a little too </span>
  <span>carefree</span>
  <span> in this situation</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  But he couldn't help it!  They just needed to get out of the Forbidden Forest, even if it wasn’t Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo lost his wand and Asahi's broke in his pocket, so he couldn't even make Asahi a stuffed toy or anything</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kuroo sighed as he thought of something that would hopefully calm Asahi down, but he would be surrendering a lot of pride.  Asahi seemed to be surrendering quite a bit too</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Alright</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Asahi.  I'm gonna do this for you, but just know that you're the second person I'm doing this for, alright?"  Kuroo said in a warning tone</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Asahi </span>
  <span>was</span>
  <span> a bit confused, watching Kuroo curiously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo took a deep breath, taking his cloak and robes off</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>Asahi widen</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> his eyes and back</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> away a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ku-Kuroo, what're you-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Shh.  I'm doing this for you."  Kuroo took off his pants next, closing his eyes and focusing.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo transformed into a cat.   A black, bushy</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>tailed cat </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> purr</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>and climb</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> onto Asahi's lap.  This was his only wild card.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi looked down at Kuroo, very confused</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>Kuroo, of course, fel</span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span> very embarrassed.  Only Kenma (and Bokuto, he guessed) ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> seen him in this form, and Kenma didn't even know it was him!</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But Asahi really needed comfort and this was his best offer.  Even if it was embarrassing, it was worth a shot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo purred in Asahi's lap, looking up at him cutely with his cat eyes.  Maybe it was because he was a cat now, but Kuroo could smell better.  Asahi smelt like Kenma, and he could take a good guess </span>
  <span>as to</span>
  <span> why.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>So it became easier to snuggle against Asahi’s body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah.  Thank you, Kuroo," Asahi mumbled, picking up cat Kuroo</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e sigh</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> softly and scratch</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>Kuroo's head</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> making him nuzzle into his hand.  He wasn't sure if it was working, but it felt nice to Kuroo</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p><span>"I'm sorry I'm being quite useless.  I can't stop thinking about Noya-kun, so..." Asahi trailed off, Kuroo mewling in response since he couldn't say anything.  Kuroo could understand Asahi's mentality if his concern was facing Nishinoya again after all this.  Knowing Nishinoya</span><span>,</span><span> though, he would want Asahi</span> <span>safe as much as Asahi wanted Nishinoya safe.</span></p><p>
  <span>Not being able to talk wasn't as bad as Kuroo thought</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>though.  It seemed that Asahi didn't need words as he snuggl</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> against his neck, Asahi stroking his back and tail</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e had to admit </span>
  <span>that it </span>
  <span>was a little weird</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but he allowed it.  It was making Asahi feel a lot calmer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks again, Kuroo.  You can change back."  Kuroo gave Asahi one last snuggle, inhaling Kenma's scent from the Amortentia </span>
  <span>on </span>
  <span>Asahi's clothes before crawling off and </span>
  <span>moving</span>
  <span> behind </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he transformed back into a human, Kuroo was naked, shivering at the air hitting his body </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>quickly putting his uniform back on.  When he finished dressing he went back to Asahi, patting his back.  Asahi managed a small smile and nodded, standing up finally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, Kuroo.  I'm just used to..." </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>e trailed off again and laughed shyly.  Kuroo had a feeling his sentence ended with something along the lines of</span>
  <span>, “</span>
  <span>Noya-kun usually blah blah blah.</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you ready to go</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then?"  Asahi sniffled, nodding and waiting for Kuroo to lead the way.  He trusted Asahi to just trail behind him, and he didn't expect much conversation for most of the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo could already tell this was going to be a long journey.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Nighttime</span>
  <span> might've been worse than the day.  Once dark hit, Asahi was scared again</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Kuroo wasn't sure if it was because of the dark or the fact that Nishinoya could be out there in the dark - possibly both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What if Noya-kun</span>
  <span> is</span>
  <span> out here</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>  It would be better if we can find him..." Asahi mumbled, the two of them sitting down by some mossy rocks</span>
  <span>. They were</span>
  <span> the most comfortable option at the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I mean, he's a pretty good wizard, right?"  Kuroo pointed out, knowing just how powerful Nishinoya was.  Asahi almost looked offended.  "He-He might be the best!"  That was a little far</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>fetched, but Kuroo didn't comment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So what's the deal with you and Noya</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> anyway?"  Kuroo asked, not seeing anything else they could do in their situation.  It’s not like they could just panic all the time, and the topic of Nishinoya seemed to be the only thing Asahi could focus on.  "You guys smashing?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could see Asahi blushing even in the moonlight, and Kuroo was beginning to wonder if </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> and Asahi were really the same age.  "N-No...I mean, hopefully one day, but, uh, sorry.  It's not something we should talk about, right?"</span>
</p><p><span>Kuroo has heard Nishinoya talk about Asahi countless times </span><span>-</span><span> over and over and over again, even if it was nonsense.  Even though he knew a lot about Asahi, this might be the first time he'</span><span>d</span><span> really see</span> <span>his personality.  It was a bit laughable, considering it was Nishinoya pursuing him.</span></p><p>
  <span>They were very different </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> Kuroo could almost see why Asahi rejected him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mm, it's not that we shouldn't.  I don't mind," Kuroo shrugged with a teasing grin, laughing loudly when Asahi just got even more embarrassed.  Asahi had enough embarrassment that he was making Kuroo feel embarrassed</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too - and Kuroo rarely felt embarrassed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll talk about Kenma if that makes you feel more comfortable," Kuroo shrugged.  Asahi seemed enthusiastic about the topic, nodding encouragingly to let Kuroo talk as much as he wanted.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>" Kuroo smirked at him, holding in a laugh.  "Am Kenma's pet."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The statement took Asahi back a bit</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e widen</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> his eyes in slight confusion, tilting his head.  "Pet?  Like, a cat?"  Kuroo chuckled and nodded.  He hadn't told anyone this except Bokuto, so it was a little weird, but he trusted Asahi wouldn't tell Kenma.  He wasn't even sure how much Asahi knew him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yup!"  Kuroo grinned, popping the </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>p</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> loudly.  "I'm Kenma's pet.  Anything Kenma says goes.  And I won't say anything about it unless I want to piss him off."  Kuroo didn't add the </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>and I like pissing him off very much</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> part of it, wanting to keep that between him and Kenma.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi hummed, nodding slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's nice.  At least Kenma-kun has someone to rely on."</span>
</p><p><span>This was the first time Kuroo</span> <span>heard such a perspective, nodding slowly.  He hadn't thought of their relationship like that before </span><span>-</span><span> him being a person Kenma could rely on.  He wanted to be that person for sure!  But Kenma was really independent and has made it very clear that he didn't need Kuroo in his life to keep living.  That's what made it so exciting - he had to keep things up and going for Kenma to stay interested.</span></p><p>
  <span>"You're really lucky, Kuroo," Asahi sighed, the two of them looking up at the sky</span>
  <span>. T</span>
  <span>he stars and full moon lighting the sky</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> so they weren't hidden in the dark.  It wasn't awkward between them</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> or weird.  Asahi did better in a social setting than he thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lucky?  Because I have Kenma?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Because you have confidence."  </span>
</p><p><span>Kuroo could hear Asahi sigh again, and he was pretty sure Asahi</span> <span>was covering his face again.  It never really occurred to Kuroo</span><span> that</span><span> he was a confident person.  He just went about life, doing what he wanted and trying his best.  It wasn't necessarily confidence, it was just Kuroo.</span></p><p><span>"I like Noya-kun," Asahi said softly.  </span><span>“</span><span>No duh,</span><span>”</span><span> Kuroo wanted to reply, but he decided to hold it in.  "I'm scared</span><span>,</span><span> though.  I like him so much,</span> <span>but</span> <span>what'll happen after school?  Will we get married?  Will his parents approve?  He's a pure</span><span>-</span><span>blood, isn't he?  What if his parents hate mine?  He's such a powerful wizard while a lot of classes are still difficult for me."  Kuroo felt like Asahi was rambling at this point, but he didn't mind.  It was better than him whimpering.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I mean," Kuroo </span>
  <span>began</span>
  <span>.  "</span>
  <span>That sort of stuff, shouldn't you tell Noya about?</span>
  <span>?"  Asahi looked over at Kuroo hearing this.  Kuroo just shrugged, not seeing it as a huge deal.  "Why?  Noya is crazy about you, right?  Asking him would make him happy enough that the only thing he would see in the mirror of Erised is himself."  Kuroo chuckled, but it seemed that Asahi was thinking about it, probably considering Kuroo’s advice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm just saying," Kuroo went on.  "Noya really likes you, and you really like him.  If the only thing that's stopping you is fear, then why don't you face it together?  If Noya lacks one thing, it's fear.  I'm sure he won't mind lending you some of his fearlessness."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn't talk after that, both of them dozing off eventually, the howling in the distance not bothering them at all.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It turned out Asahi wasn't a morning person.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo probably tried 7 times by now to get him up, but Asahi would just groan, waving him off and telling him, </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>5 more minutes.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
  <span>His </span>
  <span>final move was kicking Asahi in the ass,</span>
  <span> which </span>
  <span>finally got him a proper reaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ow!  What was that for?!""Get up already!  I wanna go home!"</span>
</p><p><span>Kuroo said it as if there was a</span> <span>100% chance</span> <span>they would get back to Hogwarts </span><span>that day</span><span>, but to be honest he had no idea.  Asahi finally got up though, which was progress, brushing his hair out and trying to tie it back properly.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Your hair is longer than I thought," Kuroo commented as Asahi pulled it back into a bun</span>
  <span>. T</span>
  <span>he two of them walking in the same direction as the day before.  "Is it up to your shoulders?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi was smiling, nodding a bit.  "Just above.  Noya says he likes my hair long, so I get happy when people point out the length."</span>
</p><p><span>At this, Kuroo</span><span> exploded</span><span>.  He was holding his stomach, having to stop for a moment so he could let it out properly.  Asahi was confused,</span> <span>stopping with him </span><span>and </span><span>watching as Kuroo kept laughing.</span></p><p><span>"So-Sorry, Asahi!"  Kuroo took deep breaths, trying to calm down.  "Sorry!  It's just-" Kuroo laughed a little longer before he finally sighed, wiping </span><span>away</span><span> a tear.  "Sorry.  It's just, Kenma did something similar.  It’s making me</span> <span>realize</span><span>-</span><span>" Kuroo grinned widely at Asahi.  "Just how much Kenma likes me!"</span></p><p>
  <span>Kenma’s cold personality was something Kuroo enjoyed, but his warm sides were his favourite, especially when he showed them only to Kuroo.  His cute sides, his angry sides, his weird sides and his spoiled sides - Kuroo liked them all.  As long as it was Kenma, he liked it </span>
  <span>very</span>
  <span> much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma.  Where was he right now?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anyway, we should just keep walking until we end up somewhere.  I'm sure that-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both stopped.  They both heard it.  There was a rustling in the bushes, wind in the trees.  They both looked up and around, trying to</span>
  <span> identify</span>
  <span> what it was.  Asahi, of course, was nervously whimpering beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma </span>
  <span>stepped </span>
  <span>out of the trees.  Kenma in his robes, staring straight at Kuroo.  Kuroo's breath hitched, walking over right away, taking Kenma's hand.  His skin was cold, his eyes staring blankly at Kuroo.</span>
</p><p><span>"Ken-Kenma?"  Out of nowhere, Kuroo's mom came </span><span>out</span><span> from behind Kenma</span> <span>- or what he thought was Kenma - and approached the two.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Son," his mom snarled at him, snatching Kenma away.  She was holding a knife, holding it to Kenma's neck and making Kuroo take a step back.  What the hell?  This couldn't be real.  </span>
</p><p><span>"It was nice meeting your boyfriend," Kuroo's mom chuckled evilly, digging the tip of the knife in</span><span>to</span> <span>“</span><span>Kenma”</span><span>’</span><span>s neck, </span><span>the</span><span> blood seeping out slowly.  "Too bad he won't be able to join us for dinner."</span></p><p>
  <span>In a split second, </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Kenma</span>
  <span>” </span>
  <span>dropped,</span>
  <span> blood gushing </span>
  <span>from</span>
  <span> his neck.  His mom stabbed the </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Kenma</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> body multiple times, making blood splurge out over and over </span>
  <span>as she</span>
  <span> aim</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> for the heart and neck.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Kuroo watched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Pfft," Kuroo laughed, looking away.  "This shit isn't real!  My mom would never call me 'son.</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo was terrified.  He was terrified that his mom would find Kenma.  He was terrified Kenma would find his mom.  He was terrified that Kenma would leave him when he realize</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> just how messed up he was, how messed up his family was.  He was terrified that Kenma would leave him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo was terrified.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Asahi was even more so.  Kuroo didn't even need to fully turn before he could see Asahi on the ground breaking down, another Boggart approaching from the </span>
  <span>far</span>
  <span> side of the trees.  If they</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> had their wands, this would've been easier, but right now all they could do was walk away.  The Boggart would leave them alone (hopefully) if they just ignored it.  Kuroo</span>
  <span>’s</span>
  <span> laugh</span>
  <span>ter </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> already</span>
  <span> confused his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san, watch me!  You're watching, right?  Look, I learned a new spell and I can actually do it now!  Asahi-san, are you watching?"  Kuroo watched as the Boggart Nishinoya jump</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> around Asahi excitedly, then seconds later blasted by a stream of unknown light, dropping dead into Asahi's arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No-No!  Noya-kun, please!  I'm-I'm sorry!  I'm so-sorry, so sorry, please.  Noya-kun, wake up!"  Asahi screamed, shaking </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Nishinoya''</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>s body</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> trying to get him to wake up, but Kuroo knew it was useless.  The Boggart was just playing tricks, but it seemed to be taking a toll on Asahi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi, come on.  You know it's not real-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Noya-kun!"  Asahi screamed again, Kuroo having to come over </span>
  <span>to try </span>
  <span>and shake him back to sanity.  Kuroo was scared</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too, horrified to death.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But none of it was real.  He knew that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi, it's not real.  This is just a Boggart."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"But it could be</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Asahi looked up, his eyes fil</span>
  <span>l</span>
  <span>ed with tears, but he wasn't crying yet.  The dam was about to break any minute</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  "It could be.  It could be real, and I didn't do anything!  That last thing I did with him was fight."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi let out a mangled sob</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and all Kuroo could do was watch, gulping as he patted Asahi's back.  The </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Nishinoya</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> body stayed the same, </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> eyes closed and paling with every </span>
  <span>passing</span>
  <span> second, looking more and more like a dead body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo sighed, kneeling down beside Asahi and doing his best to pull Asahi's hands away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Wait," Kuroo said softly, making Asahi watch as he went to </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Nishinoya''</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>s face, forcing the mouth open.  Black smoke started seeping out, the bodily features starting to fade.  </span>
  <span>Its</span>
  <span> face started to crumble, breaking off and disintegrating into the air.  Kuroo watched Asahi to make sure he </span>
  <span>saw</span>
  <span> the Boggart fad</span>
  <span>e </span>
  <span>away, probably about to turn into something else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not real.  Nishinoya isn't here, okay?  And he's not dead.  Remember, Noya is fearless</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kuroo stood up, brushing his robes.  The Boggart was turning back into Nishinoya within seconds, excitedly jumping </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span> again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san, look at me!  Look at me, Asahi-san, I made up a new spell.  Ah, Asahi-san, you have to look at me!  Asahi-san!"  Asahi had his eyes closed, squeez</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> shut, probably trying to block out the words as well.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo took the opportunity </span>
  <span>to grab</span>
  <span> Asahi's hand and</span>
  <span> pull </span>
  <span>him up, runn</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> out of that part of the forest.  The Boggarts trail</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> them for a few seconds but quickly trailed off in a direction shortly after.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>Lightning struck</span><span> in the late afternoon, </span><span>grabbing </span><span>both Asahi's and Kuroo's attention.  They </span><span>hadn’t</span><span> talk</span><span>ed</span><span> much after the Boggarts attacked, Asahi apologizing multiple times</span> <span>even though Kuroo said it was okay.  Those Boggarts were probably long gone by now.</span></p><p>
  <span>"That looked like..." Asahi looked up at the sky, trying to find where the light came from.  The sky was clear again in seconds, which was odd</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but Kuroo decided that there were a lot of odd things in the forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That looked like Noya-kun," Asahi said</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Kuroo sigh</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> loudly and sh</span>
  <span>oo</span>
  <span>k his head.  Really, if you were this obsessed with someone then you might as well date them, right?</span>
</p><p><span>"Asahi, I know you miss him.  You're probably just thinking about him a lot," Kuroo told him bluntly, not wanting to hurt his feeling, but he didn't want Asahi to </span><span>get</span><span> his hopes up</span> <span>to have it turn out not being Nishinoya again.  That would be</span> <span>worse than the Boggart - at least the Boggart was fake.</span></p><p>
  <span>"But Noya-kun made a spell-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"I know, I know, Noya is a very powerful wizard.  Noya is cool, Noya is pretty, yes, yes, I get it.  You miss Noya.  But I miss Kenma</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  The faster we get out of here, the faster we'll see them, right?  So just calm down a bit, okay?"</span>
</p><p><span>Th</span><span>at</span><span> seemed to shut Asahi up a bit</span><span> - h</span><span>e didn’t mention the </span><span>lightning</span><span> again.  Kuroo did </span><span>feel </span><span>a twinge of guilt, but if Asahi kept thinking about Nishinoya he might have </span><span>another</span> <span>breakdown</span><span>.  </span><span>Kuroo</span><span> wanted to find the exit as soon as possible.</span></p><p>
  <span>"My Boggart</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>s strong," Asahi mumbled softly </span>
  <span>but</span>
  <span> loud enough for Kuroo to hear.  "They say it's hard for it to go down.  It's probably still around the forest somewhere."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo hummed, nodding.  He remembered.  Every year during exams, Asahi's Boggart wouldn't change easily and he'd have to try multiple times to spell it </span>
  <span>away</span>
  <span>.  It proved either how big Asahi's fear was, or how powerful Nishinoya was</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> that even a fake version of him was</span>
  <span> difficult</span>
  <span> to tame.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A combination of Asahi's fear and Nishinoya's power was </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> bit much for even a great wizard who knew what they were doing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You were so calm," Asahi added quietly</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but Kuroo couldn't tell if he was envious or just pointing something out.  "How?  Didn't you see Kenma?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo did.  And Kuroo was beyond scared.  To see Kenma in such a state, to see his body breathless and covered in blood - it was not only horrifying, but disgusting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My mom was there</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  She wouldn't be out in the woods," he shrugged.  He didn't want to tell Asahi that he was </span>
  <span>too </span>
  <span>worried about how </span>
  <span>Asahi</span>
  <span> was dealing with his Boggart to be bothered with his own.  Kuroo knew it was an illusion, but did Asahi?  He was thinking that as the Boggarts attacked them and got more concerned for Asahi.  But that would stay a secret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're really brave, Kuroo," Asahi chuckled softly</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> scratch</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> his head embarrass</span>
  <span>edly</span>
  <span>.  "I'm jealous."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time Kuroo got flustered.  He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> heard</span>
  <span>, “</span>
  <span>I'm jealous of you, Kuroo</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  <span> before, but for some reason when it came from Asahi it made him feel more bashful.  Was it because Asahi sounded so genuine?  </span>
  <span>Or maybe it was because Asahi had a real reason to be jealous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No.  It was because Kuroo thought highly of Asahi as well.  He admired Asahi's caring side, the way he was concerned about things and put a lot of thought into what he was doing.  He liked how gentle Asahi was despite his image, and probably didn't care too much of what people thought about him, but rather how people felt about him.  Asahi was a considerate person - Kuroo was also jealous of him in that sense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't say those things</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Kuroo smiled, patting Asahi on the back.  "You're a good wizard, Asahi.  But more importantly, you're a good person."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>"Kuroo-san!!"  They both turned their heads, watching as orange hair hidden in the trees turned into Hinata's face, then body.  Iwaizumi was</span> <span>behind him, running towards them.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Oh, Hinata-" Kuroo oof'ed as Hinata jumped on him, crushing him in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> a hug.  He hugged him back reluctantly, then </span>
  <span>set</span>
  <span> him down, patting his head affectionately.  "So there are others in here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi looked awkward around them, giving a small nod of greeting.  Kuroo </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> never cared about the whole feud with the Slytherins </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> it was just certain people in the house </span>
  <span>who</span>
  <span> pissed him off.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Luckily, Iwaizumi was not one of those people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So you guys got stuck</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yeah!  We even met a dragon!"  Hinata said a little too excitedly, but Kuroo just chuckled, nodding his head.  He really didn't know how this was one of Kenma's closes</span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span> friend</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How did you find us?"  Asahi asked, and this time Iwaizumi answered.  "We found your Boggart.  So we assumed you were close."  Asahi chuckled nervously and nodded, scratching his head.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right.  Asahi's Boggart is  that strong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anway, it's better if we stay as a group, right?"  Iwaizumi said, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> the rest of them nodd</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> and agree</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> to start walking again, prepared to return to Hogwarts anytime soon.  Just this time, with four of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you see Kageyama?"  Hinata asked, closer to a whining tone than a concerned one.  Kuroo just grinned, looking down at him.  "Well, did you see Kenma?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata sulked, slouching down and following them deeper into the woods.</span>
</p><p><span>Sure, this wasn't ideal, but it was what happened.  Kuroo didn't see anything they could do about it but get out as soon as possible.  And </span><span>the sooner they</span><span> got out of here, the faster he could see Kenma.  Really, it wasn't </span><span>that big of a</span><span> deal.  He’s</span> <span>suffered worse.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Did you guys see anything interesting?"  Hinata asked, probably wanting an interesting </span>
  <span>story</span>
  <span>.  Kuroo hummed, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nah.  But I would love to hear more about this dragon.  Maybe you can practice telling me so when you tell Kageyama, you’ll be ready."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Asahi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"The werewolf didn't eat us though, we climbed up a tall tree so it couldn't.  It was thrilling!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Well, it sounds like you two bonded quite a lot on your journey."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Yeah!  Iwaizumi-san is a lot like Kageyama, except without all the fighting.  Maybe if Kageyama wasn't such a dummy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last thing Asahi did with Nishinoya was fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last thing Asahi did was make Nishinoya cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last thing Asahi saw Nishinoya do was try and save him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn't focus on getting out of the woods when his mind was trying to figure out how he could make it up to him when the</span>
  <span>y</span>
  <span> got back.  Would Nishinoya be back</span>
  <span>, too</span>
  <span>?  </span>
  <span>Did Nishinoya get stuck in the Forbidden Forest as well?  </span>
  <span>Asahi thought he was going crazy - he could smell Nishinoya</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and it was making him even more anxious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san, are you okay?  You look spaced out."  The three of them were looking at Asahi, Asahi having not even noticed that he was walking behind them this whole time, just slowly trailing their steps.  Asahi probably didn't notice his own depressed face either.</span>
</p><p><span>"Ah, yeah, I'm fine," Asahi chuckled nervously, scratching his head.  He didn't want to pester them with all this Nishinoya talk.  It would make things more difficult, and if anything, they had people they were worried about</span><span>,</span><span> too.  It wasn't fair</span><span> for</span> <span>his </span><span>anxi</span><span>ety to</span> <span>overpower</span><span> their worries.  Everyone had someone they were thinking about </span><span>-</span><span> they just weren't talking about it.  It didn't seem right to cry about it now that there were even more people.</span></p><p>
  <span>"He's worried about Noya," Kuroo said bluntly, making Asahi a bit nervous, but instead of rolling their eyes, everyone nodded understandingly.  Even Iwaizumi, who Asahi didn't know well.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It calmed him down a bit.</span>
</p><p><span>"If anyone</span> <span>makes it out alive, it's Noya-san!"  Hinata exclaimed</span><span>, </span><span>then quickly sputtered, realizing what that must have sounded like.  "No-Not to say we won't!  Just that, if only one could make it </span><span>-</span><span> not that we won't!  But if it were a battle or something-"</span></p><p>
  <span>"It's fine, Hinata</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>" Asahi chuckled softly.  It was nice that they were all worried for his well</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>being, even if it was a bit embarrassing since he was one of the oldest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I would rather Noya-kun make it out rather than me.  If I had to choose."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all stood there staring at Asahi, probably shocked he was able to say such bold words so easily.  But Asahi wasn't lying </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> he meant it with every </span>
  <span>fiber in his being</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p><span>If he had to choose between him</span> <span>or Nishinoya, he wouldn't hesitate sacrificing himself.</span></p><p><span>"Asahi..." Kuroo started with a sigh</span><span>,</span><span> and Asahi thought</span> <span>he</span><span>’d </span><span>said something wrong.  Hinata ended up smiling wider and gave Asahi a thumbs</span><span>-</span><span>up.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san, at this rate I'm gonna ask Noya-san if I can be his best man!"</span>
</p><p><span>The comment made Asahi's eyes go wide</span><span>,</span><span> and he finally</span> <span>blush</span><span>ed</span><span> a bright pink.  Nishinoya in a suit and bow tie...How could he not get excited at the thought?</span></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm hungry</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  Hinata whined, the four of them having walked for at least another 3 hours.  It was getting colder and darker, maybe around 6 PM, and all of them were getting more and more tired as time passed on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So am I," Kuroo groaned, holding a hand</span>
  <span> to</span>
  <span> his stomach.  "Daichi told me not to eat too much before the game. I'm gonna kill him when I see him next."</span>
</p><p><span>They all sat down,</span> <span>deciding to take a break</span><span>. T</span><span>hey discussed how much longer they might be out here and what they should do in order to make it at least another night.  </span><span> There wasn't a lot of food and water they were able to find.</span></p><p>
  <span>"If the average person can go at least 2 weeks without food or water, we should be good until then," Kuroo mumbled, drawing a sketch in the dirt that Asahi couldn't understand.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"And if we die of hydration first, that means we just need to drink water, so if we're stuck here for a month even, it'll be fine."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"But we're bigger," Iwaizumi pointed out, adding to the sketch for a reason Asahi couldn't tell you.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Except for Hinata, we can last more than a month.  I'd say 6 weeks, Hinata a month or less."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Wa-Wait!"  Hinata all of a sudden interjected.  "What's my height gotta do with this?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Calm down, it's just the math of it.  We're not ridiculing you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was times like this where Asahi felt a little more useless than usual </span>
  <span>- w</span>
  <span>hen he wasn't able to contribute much to the conversation or help in any way besides maybe being the most worried.  It </span>
  <span>made</span>
  <span> him more anxious that he wasn't able to help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi, what do you think?"  Iwaizumi asked, the three of them looking at him.  That's right, Iwaizumi didn't know Asahi well.  He probably didn't know much about him and this was the first time they'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> talked directly.  Iwaizumi seemed intimidating, so maybe he would get annoyed with Asahi’s cowardliness too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, I think walking is the best option," Asahi managed to say, unsure what else he could offer.  "Maybe just </span>
  <span>go</span>
  <span> the same direction for now.  As long as we hit a town, we should be fine, right?"  It was basic advice, but Iwaizumi still nodded like it was a valuable point.  Asahi relaxed a little bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san, you must be tired," Hinata said, crawling over and sitting down next to </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  "Did you and Noya-san fight?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi tensed at the reminder.  He knew Hinata was probably just trying to help out, but he didn't feel like talking about it right now, especially when there was a chance that the last thing Asahi and Nishinoya ever did was fight.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though it was on his mind all the time, Asahi didn't feel like facing the problem directly.  It just made him more scared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He was really depressed this past week," Hinata shrug</span>
  <span>ged</span>
  <span>.  "I just assumed."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just to make things worse.  Asahi knew that Nishinoya </span>
  <span>hadn’t been</span>
  <span> eating or sleeping properly</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> he could see it on his face perfectly.  How could he miss it?  He was pretty sure he spent 75% of his day just looking at Nishinoya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I mean, he wouldn't talk to anyone and he was so moody all the time.  It really hit him, you know?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi felt something tighten around his heart, clenching at it so it hurt.</span>
  
  <span>He</span>
  <span> knew that Nishinoya wasn't acting like himself, being quieter than usual.  Instead of his usual outgoing self, </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> wasn't responding to anyone and snapping at people who even looked at him wrong.  How could he miss it?  Asahi was always greeted by Nishinoya's enthusiastic spirit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Also, he usually talks about you, but this time when we mentioned you  he left the room.  Kageyama said he was crying, but I didn't see-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hinata."  Kuroo cut him off with a scolding tone.  "That's enough."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi gulped, wondering if that was really true, but he could already picture it.  Asahi knew how much Nishinoya liked him</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and their fight </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>probably made him take a huge blow.  How could he miss it?  Nishinoya told him constantly just how much he wanted Asahi to be his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry," Hinata mumbled, finally looking at Asahi properly.  "I was just saying."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi had a weird feeling that Hinata wasn't sorry, and knew exactly what he was doing by telling him all of this.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They started walking not to</span>
  <span>o</span>
  <span> long after</span>
  <span>wards</span>
  <span>, the sun starting to set now.  </span>
  <span>He noticed how Hinata would constantly check the sun multiple times, not like he was checking the time, but awing at it.  Asahi wanted to awe at it too, but it would've been nicer with Nishinoya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone seemed quieter now that it was evening and no one had eaten all day.  </span>
  <span>He and</span>
  <span> Kuroo ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span>n't eaten since the day before yesterday, but they didn't complain, just trying to get home.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He wondered if Nishinoya was okay right now, and if he was looking for Asahi, as well.</span>
</p><p><span>"Are you al</span><span>l </span><span>right, Asahi?"  Iwaizumi asked, startling </span><span>him</span> <span>a bit but he nodded with a small smile.</span><span>  He wasn't sure why Iwaizumi was being so concerned </span><span>for</span><span> him, especially since they</span><span>’d</span><span> just met, but it made more sense </span><span>when </span><span>he went over to Hinata, patting him on the back.</span></p><p>
  <span>"You okay, Hinata?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Yeah!  My legs are tired, but I'm sure they'll be much stronger after this!"  Iwaizumi nodded and looked over at Kuroo.  "What about you, Kuroo?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm fine.  When it gets colder it's fine to walk a lot, don't you think?"</span>
</p><p><span>Iwaizumi was a caring person even though he didn't look like it.  It soon occurred to Asahi that that's how people saw him</span><span>,</span><span> too - at first </span><span>he </span><span>looked intimidating and scary, this tall person that looked like they</span> <span>could beat you up.  But then you find out he's not like that, and for some reason</span><span> you</span><span> get disappointed.</span></p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya</span>
  <span> hadn’t been</span>
  <span> disappointed when he found out Asahi was actually quite shy and timid.  In fact, he was pretty sure Nishinoya </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>got</span>
  <span>ten</span>
  <span> more excited since he was such a loud and outstanding person.  He was probably happy that there was a balance between them, and Nishinoya has said lots of times that he liked when Asahi did something brave because of him - it meant</span>
  <span> he</span>
  <span> was really important to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya was important to him -</span>
  <em>
    <span> is</span>
  </em>
  <span> important to him!  That's why he was so scared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, fuck," Kuroo groaned suddenly, making Asahi snap his head up and look to </span>
  <span>see </span>
  <span>what </span>
  <span>he </span>
  <span>was angry about. </span>
</p><p><span>They were at a cliff.  The ground</span><span> suddenly gave way </span><span>and led to empty space in the air.  There was no way around</span> <span>either</span><span>;</span><span> it just fell.  They would have to turn around and walk in a different direction.</span></p><p>
  <span>"For fuck</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>s sake," Kuroo sighed, dropping on</span>
  <span>to </span>
  <span>the ground and punching the air.  "I'm so sick of walking!  I want my broom!  I want magic back!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi didn't mind no magic, </span>
  <span>so in a situation like this, he felt like he was supposed to take advantage of being in a home where magic wasn't used much.</span>
  <span>  Especially after Kuroo </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> told him he live</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> with his wizard dad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's fine, Kuroo, let's just start walking now.  It'll take time to find a different path," Iwaizumi said, trying to get everybody back up, but things were looking hopeless.  They'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been walking for so long now, and all of a sudden they hit a dead end?  It was very discouraging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Guys,"  Hinata called out, getting everyone's attention.  He was looking down from the cliff, his body </span>
  <span>too</span>
  <span> close to the edge for Asahi's comfort.  But Kuroo and Iwaizumi went to the edge too, so naturally Asahi stood carefully behind them, getting a good look from a safe distance.  His eyes widened when he looked down though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hogwarts was at the bottom, at least a 75 feet jump down the cliff.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"You're not jumping, Hinata."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"But Kageyama might be there!  It'll take weeks before we get to the bottom!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was true that it would take them longer to go around and get to Hogwarts properly.  But this was a high jump, and even though Hinata was quite fearless, something like this should be impossible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sure Kageyama wants you to get back to him in one piece," Iwaizumi added, trying to convince Hinata that jumping down wasn't a good idea.  "Please, Hinata, let's just walk around, okay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But..." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata look</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> down, letting out constipated sputters as his eyes focused on Hogwarts.  They could see professors monitoring </span>
  <span>the grounds</span>
  <span> with lanterns, probably trying to find students.  Hinata looked frustrated.</span>
</p><p><span>Asahi could understand his desire to get back as soon as possible.  Hogwarts seemed so far away</span><span>,</span><span> yet so close </span><span>-</span><span> it was teasing them</span> <span>how disgustingly easy it was to just jump.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Maybe they can hear us," Hinata suggested, going straight to the edge of the cliff and cupping his mouth with his hands to amplify himself.  "HEY!  HEY!  WE'RE HERE!  PROFESSOR!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course no one heard them.</span>
</p><p><span>"Let me jump," Hinata whined, looking back at the 5th years, already shaking anxiously.  "I feel like Kageyama's already there. Come on, it's not like this is that high!  I've fallen off my broom so many times."</span><span><br/></span><span>"That's different," Iwaizumi said quickly, pulling Hinata </span><span>back</span><span> from the edge before he fell</span> <span>off accidentally.  "You don't fly 100 feet high during Quidditch</span><span>,</span><span> and you have your wand on you.  If you jump now, we don't know what'll happen."</span></p><p>
  <span>Asahi was biting his nails, crouching down, trying to think.  Nishinoya would probably jump without hesitation, right?  Or maybe he would at least think about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No.  If he heard Asahi was at the bottom, his logic would probably be</span>
  <span>, “</span>
  <span>Asahi will catch me!</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p><span>But Asahi didn't know if Nishinoya was at Hogwarts</span><span>,</span><span> either.  If Asahi jumped, it could be for nothing and he might actually</span> <span>permanently regret it.  If Nishinoya were here, would he tell Asahi to jump?</span></p><p>
  <span>"I'm telling you, Kageyama is down there already!"  Hinata protested, trying to get out from Kuroo's grip</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but he had two firm arms around </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, making sure he wasn't going to do it.  Asahi would've done the same if he wasn't having an existential crisis.    </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Even if he is, so what?  We gotta think this through."  Iwaizumi nodded in agreement.  Asahi knew it was better for them to keep walking and just hit Hogwarts later when they were on the same ground level.  That was the smart thing to do.</span>
</p><p><span>"Fine," Hinata grumbled, stopping his resistance and quit fighting back.  "We'll walk."  Even though it was</span> <span>a mumble</span><span>,</span><span> Kuroo and Iwaizumi looked at each other</span><span>,</span><span> then at Asahi.  They all nodded at each other, Kuroo slowly letting go of Hinata. </span></p><p>
  <span>"Okay," Kuroo said.  "If Hogwarts is just down there-""Sike!"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata started sprinting towards the edge of the cliff, all of them too slow to stop him.  Asahi couldn't look, shutting his eyes and covering them with his hand</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> as Hinata jumped off.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Guys!"  Hinata's voice sounded a lot closer than they thought.  They all looked down curiously </span>
  <span>from</span>
  <span> the edge of the cliff, Hinata waving to them </span>
  <span>at the bottom</span>
  <span>.  He was small in the distance, only his orange hair being the real </span>
  <span>indicator</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Guys!  It's just an illusion!"  Hinata yelled.  "It's not a real cliff!  It's not that big of a jump!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi could see Kuroo and Iwaizumi looking at each other, then back down at Hinata.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It must be charmed," Iwaizumi said, Kuroo nodding in agreement.  "Protection for the school.  It's not a real cliff."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"That's probably why no one heard.  Or no one responded</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> at least."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata was fine and this cliff wasn't real.  They could get to Hogwarts eas</span>
  <span>ily:</span>
  <span> all they had to do was jump.  All Asahi had to do was jump off a fake cliff and he would be back at Hogwarts where potentially Nishinoya was, waiting for him.</span>
</p><p><span>"So it's probably just a few feet after all," Kuroo mumbled, looking down from the cliff like he was calculating </span><span>it</span><span>.  "I don't see the</span> <span>problem jumping."</span></p><p>
  <span>Asahi's eyes widened at the judgement, shaking his head.  Sure it was fake, but how could they just jump so easily like that?  It looked like jump</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> off Hogwarts</span>
  <span>’s</span>
  <span> tallest tower, or even a big mountain, or worse - a freaking cliff!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"N-No!  I'm not jumping!"  Asahi exclaimed, backing away from the edge.  "I'm walking!  I-I can't jump that!"  Kuroo and Iwaizumi glanced at each other</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then walked over to Asahi, both of them grabbing a shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not real, you know?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"It just looks like a cliff.  Hogwarts is right there."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"And if we jump, you jump too."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Hinata did it.  We can do it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi appreciated the words of encouragement, but he couldn't do it.  There was no way!  He </span>
  <span>would</span>
  <span> basically </span>
  <span>be</span>
  <span> falling to his death, even though in the back of his mind he knew it wasn't real.  That didn't make it less scary!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So-Sorry guys, I can't," Asahi whimpered, shaking his head.  "I'll go alone, so you guys can jump!  But I can't!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi and Kuroo looked at each other again, then at Asahi, both of them sighing.  "We're not gonna leave you here by yourself."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi didn't know if he fe</span>
  <span>lt </span>
  <span>touched or guilty.  If he made all of them stay back </span>
  <span>they’d</span>
  <span> lose more time </span>
  <span>in</span>
  <span> civilization.  He didn't want them to stay back just for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi," Kuroo said firmly, squeezing his shoulder.  "Noya might be down there.  Don't you want to see him sooner?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi did.  He wanted to see Nishinoya so badly</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> he wanted to hug him and tell him he was sorry and that he felt braver now and that he wanted </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span> to be a couple.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Asahi wanted to, but he couldn't.</span>
</p><p><span>"I'll go first," Iwaizumi offered, letting go of Asahi and walking to the</span><span> edge </span><span>of the cliff</span><span>.  "And I'll show you."  Asahi gasped when Iwaizumi didn't even hesitate </span><span>to step</span><span> off,</span> <span>falling down the cliff.  It made him even more anxious.</span></p><p>
  <span>"I can't!"  Asahi exclaimed, trying to get Kuroo off him.  "I-I'm not like you guys, okay?  I'm not brave like you guys!  I'm sorry, but I can't.  I-I just can't..."  Kuroo was looking at him, maybe trying to figure out what to do.  He was pulling Asahi to</span>
  <span>ward</span>
  <span> the edge of the cliff again, which Asahi was trying to pull away from, but Kuroo seemed more determined than he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wai-Wait!  Kuroo-""We're just gonna check on Iwaizumi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>" Kuroo said calmly - a little too calmly.  "Don't worry."  Asahi calmed down a bit, then looked down the edge of the cliff with Kuroo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iwaizumi was there, perfectly fine, waving at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"See?  Iwaizumi didn't die," Kuroo said in a soft voice, rubbing Asahi's back soothingly.  Asahi could see Iwaizumi standing</span>
  <span> there </span>
  <span>normally, no sign of injury.  Hinata was still there too, maybe waiting for all four of them to jump down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was just an illusion.  Asahi shut his eyes and breathed a little heavier as told himself again and again that it was just an illusion and he had nothing to worry about by jumping down.  Nishinoya would be there, waiting for him.  Nishinoya would be safe.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>And even if Nishinoya wasn't there yet, Asahi would wait for him.  He would wait for him as long as it </span>
  <span>took</span>
  <span>, like how Nishinoya waited for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwaizumi didn't die," Kuroo repeated in a quiet voice, Asahi's eyes snapping open when he felt </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>pressure on his back.  "And neither will you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo shoved Asahi off the cliff with a big push, Asahi not being able to help but scream as he fell.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi did not die.  He was alive.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He fell on his back with a soft grunt, maybe after a second of falling - if you could even call it that.  </span>
</p><p><span>It wasn't even</span><span> as tall as</span><span> Hinata, the drop.  It was more like a ledge they</span> <span>jumped off of</span><span>,</span><span> and Asahi was beginning to think about how stupid he must've looked getting scared of such a short jump.</span></p><p>
  <span>Being that scared</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>was it really worth his energy?</span>
</p><p><span>Kuroo followed </span><span>soon</span><span> after, landing on his feet like it was nothing at all</span><span>,</span><span> grinning at Asahi.  "Told you.  You didn't die, did you?"  Asahi laughed shyly </span><span>and hit</span> <span>him</span><span> on the</span><span> back</span><span>. H</span><span>e </span><span>didn’t intend</span><span> it to be hard</span><span>,</span><span> but Kuroo ended up </span><span>“</span><span>oof</span><span>”</span><span>ing, laughing along </span><span>with him</span><span>.</span></p><p>
  <span>The four of them made it.  Hogwarts was steps away and all of them were running.  They could see the entrance, the professors roaming around - it was all back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Professor Uka-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Is Kageyama here?"  Hinata asked before Kuroo could greet him properly.  Ukai's eyes widened</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and he started crossing something off of a piece of parchment.  With his wand he summoned up some cookies</span>
  <span> to give </span>
  <span>to all four of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's good you guys are sa-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Kageyama!"  Hinata screamed, running in a whole different direction.  All of them watched, Hinata's arms out as he ran to</span>
  <span>wards</span>
  <span> Kageyama</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> who was walking out from the Gryffindor exit.  His head turned, eyes widening as he watched him sprint towards him</span>
  <span>. Hinata</span>
  <span> jumped on Kageyama, his arms locking around his neck and his legs wrapping around his waist.  Kageyama looked surprised at first, but Asahi was pretty sure everyone's heart warmed when Kageyama hugged him back tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Goodness.  Let me finish my sentence," Ukai huffed</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then focused back on the three 5th years, shaking his head.  "Go inside, al</span>
  <span>l</span>
  <span> right?  Rest up.  There's still a bunch of other students missing, so don't ask."  It seemed that Hinata wasn't the first person to ask where someone was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi was a little sad that he wasn't able to ask if Nishinoya was back yet, but he walk</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> to Kageyama anyway, wanting to hear from someone at least about his status.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, Kageyama-kun?"  Asahi felt bad for ruining the moment, especially </span>
  <span>since</span>
  <span> Hinata was hiding his face in Kageyama's neck</span>
  <span>. He wasn’t</span>
  <span> letting go and didn't look like he would anytime soon.  Kageyama looked up, his whole face red, but he wasn't letting go either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Y-Yes, Asahi-san?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"By any chance...did you see Noya-kun?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kageyama just shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh.  Okay."  Asahi bowed slightly and offered a sad smile before walking back inside the school.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kageyama, I met a dragon!"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Did you</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> now?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Mhm!  Wanna hear about it?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"...</span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>ure."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi sighed, sitting next to the side of the door since he didn’t feel like going to his dorm yet.  Maybe, if he waited a little longer, Nishinoya would come to him like always. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would wait for Nishinoya, just like Nishinoya waited for him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Akaashi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Bokuto-san!  Bokuto-san!"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi could feel his throat going and hoarse with every yell.  He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been trying to find Bokuto all morning</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and now the sun was high in the sky.  He thought maybe Bokuto would be an owl, so every time he s</span>
  <span>aw</span>
  <span> a flying object he</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>d follow it regardless if it was an owl or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto-san..?"  Akaashi slowly approached a grey owl, unable to tell from the ground, but as he looked closer it seemed that the owl was as confused as Akaashi, hooting away.  Every time, Akaashi felt more and more stupid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By </span>
  <span>midafternoon</span>
  <span> Akaashi was tired.  He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been screaming Bokuto's name so many times (and not in the way he thought he would for the first time) he felt like his throat was about to rip open.  He was sweating and hungry, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> the thought of finding Bokuto </span>
  <span>was the first thing on</span>
  <span> his mind rather than actually finding a way home.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right.  Akaashi needed to get home</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Dad's gonna kill me..." Akaashi moaned to himself, sitting on the grass and gripping his hair.  His dad found out everything</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> he always found out everything.  He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> find out about the Amortentia and how Akaashi told Bokuto to find it.  He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> find out about Tendou stealing it</span>
  <span>, which was</span>
  <span> how the fight started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> find out that Akaashi was the one who asked </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>rofessor Takeda for it in the first place just to get his boyfriend to smell it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why didn't I ask Bokuto to come into the stupid classroom</span>
  <span>?</span>
  <span>" Akaashi groaned, kicking a leg in the air in frustration.  He was so dead when he got back, he was starting to debate whether it was safer in the Forbidden Forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Amortentia.  It got on Akaashi's clothes and at first he thought it was a good thing.  He didn't go too crazy out in the wild, thinking about how </span>
  <span>he and </span>
  <span>Bokuto would be reunited eventually.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But after a few hours, Akaashi realized that he was going more insane instead of crazy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He missed Bokuto so much that it was scaring him.  Should someone rely on a person's presence this much to calm them down?  Or was the Amortentia making him miss Bokuto even more?  It felt like some sort of cursed side effect or something, not being able to think about anything else but Bokuto and where he was right now.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi knew he loved Bokuto, but this was torture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fucking hell," he sighed, getting up and continuing </span>
  <span>to walk</span>
  <span>.  He would go </span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span>ast then, until he hit something.  A town, a neighbourhood</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>anything was better than just a view of a bunch of trees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every time a bird flew above him he would snap his head up </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> see what kind it was.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Akaashi?""Shit!"  Akaashi jumped when someone appeared beside him with no indication they were </span>
  <span>approaching</span>
  <span> him.  His heart settled down when he saw it was just another student.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, Nishinoya," Akaashi sighed softly, a bit shocked that Nishinoya found him.  It meant there were probably other students out here - including Bokuto.</span>
</p><p><span>"I didn't think I would find anyone!"  Nishinoya exclaimed, hugging Akaashi tightly.  Akaashi didn't hug</span> <span>back </span><span>-</span><span> Nishinoya </span><span>was</span><span> squeezing him </span><span>so</span><span> hard that he couldn't move</span><span>, and </span><span>he was too in shock anyway.  "It feels so good to see another person."</span></p><p>
  <span>Akaashi felt the same way, hop</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> that they would be able to find even more people now.  Even if he wasn't Bokuto, Akaashi was glad that other students were safe as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm guessing you've been looking for Bokuto-san," Nishinoya said, letting go of Akaashi so they could start walking together.  "I've been looking for Asahi-san..."</span>
</p><p><span>Right.  Nishinoya probably didn’t have Akaashi in mind either when he went out looking for people.  There w</span><span>ere </span><span>a few things he'</span><span>d</span><span> heard about Nishinoya, the main </span><span>one</span><span> being Nishinoya's voice in the hallway or in class, loud and a bit obnoxious.  He mainly knew facts through Bokuto though, and he ha</span><span>d</span><span> an idea of the</span> <span>relationship he had with Asahi.</span></p><p><span>"We'll find them," Akaashi said reassuringly.</span><span><br/></span><span>"I don't know," Nishinoya said in a surprisingly down</span> <span>voice.  "It's a big forest."</span></p><p>
  <span>Akaashi had to admit, sometimes he forgot Nishinoya and him were the same age.  He was so childish and rowdy - not in a bad way!  Akaashi was just more of a silent person, not finding it in him to be yelling all the time like Nishinoya did.  It's not like he found him annoying or anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san is probably scared right now," he heard Nishinoya mumble under his breath.  "Really scared."  Akaashi nodded slowly, understanding the feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto-san</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  He must be in his depressed stages about now if he's out here," Akaashi said back.  Nishinoya just sighed loudly.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san's not good in these situations."  Akaashi knew this too, not because of Bokuto necessarily, but because he'</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> heard some people talk about Asahi's surprising fearfulness.  "He might not be able to move."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi just nodded, not looking at Nishinoya.  He could see Bokuto in a similar situation</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> which was making him a little more anxious as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto-san might not know where to go," Akaashi added, looking up at the sky, hoping he was using his Animagus form to make things easier for him.  "I'd prefer if he gets back safely."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were both silent for a moment, looking forward, but Akaashi knew they both had the same feelings.  Uneasiness and concern.</span>
</p><p><span>"Asahi-san isn't good with</span> <span>the dark."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Bokuto-san is probably starving by now."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Asahi-san can't think well under pressure."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Bokuto-san gets depressed easily when he's discouraged."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Asahi-san gives up easily."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Bokuto-san gets worked up over little things."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Asahi-san might be looking for me."</span><span><br/></span><span>"Bokuto-san might be looking for me."</span></p><p>
  <span>The two looked at each other for a moment then looked forward again, nodding with a more determined face.  They had to find Bokuto and Asahi quickly, before something else does - even if they didn't find Hogwarts first.  Hogwarts will always be there, but Bokuto and Asahi in a forest was obviously not a good place for them.  </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait, wait, wait</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Akaashi stopped walking, almost glaring at Nishinoya.  "You had your wand this whole time?"</span>
</p><p><span>It was evening </span><span>-</span><span> the sun was setting and the two </span><span>had</span><span> decided to take a break when they found a little pond with some drinkable water and a nice grassy area to sleep on.  Akaashi thought they</span> <span>both lost their wands in the explosion, but it turned out that wasn't the case.</span></p><p>
  <span>He found out Nishinoya had a wand when it slipped out of his robes while taking them off so he could wash himself in the pond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, yeah," Nishinoya laughed embarrassed, picking his wand up and putting it back in his robes.  "I did."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi h</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span>ld in a frustrated scream, tightening his lips and clenching his fist, not wanting to get mad at him.  Even though it was wrong of Nishinoya, it wouldn't be good to fight with each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why," Akaashi said slowly, doing his best not to sound angry, but it was pretty difficult.  "Didn't you tell me?"  He didn't understand why Nishinoya looked so flustered, not answering Akaashi’s question.  Akaashi let out a loud sigh, stepping closer to Nishinoya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can get us back home," Akaashi said calmly, crouching down </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> Nishinoya</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>who was currently washing his face.  "You can use your wand and get us back to Hogwarts.  Then we can find Asahi-san and Bokuto-san faster.  Right?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi was pretty sure he was talking slowly.  He thought his words made sense considering their situation.  He thought Nishinoya would've thought of the idea too if he</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>had</span>
  <span> his wand this whole time.  So why wasn't Nishinoya agreeing?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Listen, Akaashi," Nishinoya started saying with a nervous laugh that was making Akaashi both confused and annoyed.  Why was he laughing?  This wasn't a laughing situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know how much Bokuto-san has talked about me, and I don't blame you for not knowing, but the truth is," Nishinoya was smiling widely at him that might've encouraged him at any other time, but right now wasn't a good time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I haven't passed a class by myself except for Flying.  If I try to do a spell, I might blow up the whole forest.  Us included."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi wanted to scream.  They could've been at Hogwarts hours ago and looking for Bokuto and Asahi too!  They might've been reunited by now and Akaashi could be in Bokuto's arms, safe and sound.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The fuck was Nishinoya going on about 'blowing up the whole forest'. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll do it</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then," Akaashi said in a painfully calm voice, holding his hand out so Nishinoya could give the wand to him.  "Let me use your wand and I'll teleport us back to Hogwarts."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya hesitated, looking down at his robes where his wand was hiding</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e laugh</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> again in that same nervous tone.  Akaashi was about to burst if Nishinoya kept doing that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My wand...it's a little complex, you know?"  Nishinoya said, Akaashi not understanding what </span>
  <span>that was </span>
  <span>supposed to mean.  "Ollivander said it's not an easy wand to master, so..."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Just give it!"  Akaashi snapped, shocking both of them.  He sighed, </span>
  <span>quickly</span>
  <span> going back to his same cool self.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had to be at least 14 inches.  It looked like it was half of Nishinoya's body size!  The wood was Cedar, known to be a wand that was difficult to own and remains loyal to its owner - which should've been Akaashi's first red flag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is this," Akaashi looked inside of it, trying to see the core of the wand.  "Phoenix tail?"  Akaashi has studied wands before, and his dad had a bit of a collection too.  Phoenix tail existed in only 5 wands in the whole </span>
  <em>
    <span>world</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  How Nishinoya got one, Akaashi couldn't say.  It was an incredible wand, probably expensive too.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he already asked for it and he was determined to go home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How did this wand even choose you?"  It wasn't supposed to be insulting, but Akaashi really couldn't see how someone as</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>well, goofy as Nishinoya could channel such powerful magic.  It was a bit unfair, if Akaashi thought about it.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, well, it was attached to me</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> I guess," Nishinoya shrugged with an embarrassed smile.  "When I bought it Ollivander was shocked too.  But it's my wand, so</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>" Nishinoya looked at Akaashi, probably waiting for him to do a spell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that Akaashi had it in his hand</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though, he was regretting asking for it.  Even just holding it, Akaashi was intimidated by</span>
  <span> its </span>
  <span>power.  He was telling himself that it was just like any other wand</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  All he had to do was </span>
  <span>cast</span>
  <span> a spell - it would work out fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lumos."  It was a simple spell.  Just to get some light and test out the wand a little to see what he was working with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pond blew up.  All of </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> water crash</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> around the perimeter,</span>
  <span>soaking both Akaashi and Nishinoya and some of the plants around the pond were on fire.</span>
  <span>  The two, now drenched, just look</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> out </span>
  <span>at</span>
  <span> the now</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>empty ditch, not saying anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi quietly gave Nishinoya his wand back.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"What sound should it make?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi looked at Nishinoya weirdly, cocking his head a bit.  "What?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What sound?"  Nishinoya asked again, holding his wand out at Akaashi.  "You know.  Some spells make a '</span>
  <em>
    <span>pow</span>
  </em>
  <span>' and others make a '</span>
  <em>
    <span>wham</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>'</span>
  <span>  Some make a '</span>
  <em>
    <span>whoosh</span>
  </em>
  <span>' or a '</span>
  <em>
    <span>bham</span>
  </em>
  <span>!'  What sound should it make?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi had agreed to teach Nishinoya the spells that could get them home faster - spells Nishinoya should have known in his 4th year - and now they were discussing </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>accio</span>
  </em>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> a spell that could conjure whatever they wanted.  Including food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know, I never thought about it," Akaashi shrugged, watching as Nishinoya's shoulders fell like it discouraged him that Akaashi didn't know the fucking noise a stupid spell made.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he could tell the both of them were equally frustrated.  Nishinoya had warned him it was difficult for him to do a spell, especially one</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> that involved another person or object.  He'</span>
  <span>d </span>
  <span>been holding back for the past few years, not wanting to accidentally hurt someone, which Akaashi thought was fair.  But that also meant Nishinoya hasn't been practising properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure we can do this?"  It was midnight and the two were still practising.  Akaashi wasn't letting Nishinoya sleep because it was the middle of the goddamn night and now that they had a wand Nishinoya was able to get them some food at least if he couldn't teleport them back to Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I barely get anywhere with Asahi-san.  And I listen to Asahi-san well!"  Nishinoya explained, sort of whining his explanation.  "I don't know Akaashi, this just seems like a lost cause.""No!"  Akaashi exclaimed in frustration, not letting Nishinoya even sit down.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nishinoya, you're a powerful wizard."  'So please, please, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please </span>
  </em>
  <span>just poof up some food for us because I'm starving'.  He held in the last part, not wanting to pressure Nishinoya too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I mean, don't you want to see Asahi-san faster?"  Akaashi tried motivating him, but Nishinoya looked even more dejected than before at the </span>
  <span>suggestion</span>
  <span>.  </span>
  <span>Hadn’t </span>
  <span>Nishinoya </span>
  <span>been</span>
  <span> pouting about not seeing him just minutes earlier?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san...I hope he's okay.""Oh my-"  Akaashi held it in.  He couldn't get frustrated right now</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> Nishinoya needed encouragement.  He felt like he was training a kid, and in a way Nishinoya was.  He seemed spoiled, probably by Asahi, and now he couldn't get a simple spell out.  Akaashi calmed himself down, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nishinoya," Akaashi started off slowly.  "You're a good wizard, aren't you?"  Nishinoya looked up at Akaashi and Akaashi took it as a good sign.  "And you rarely give up.  Right?"  This seemed to switch something in Nishinoya, and whatever it was Akaashi was rolling with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When we're in class together you always try, don't you?  And you always give it your all?  So what about now?  What's wrong now?  Why can't you give it your all like usual?"  Nishinoya's face fell, but he didn't look that upset anymore, more like he was reflecting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm thinking...Asahi-san and I fought the last time I saw him," Nishinoya explained soft</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span>.  This time, Akaashi could empathize better.  "I'm wondering if he even wants to see me again.  I said mean things to him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi held in a sigh, not wanting to be a couple</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> counselor or anything, but Nishinoya looked like he really needed some advice.  Akaashi's stomach growled loudly</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but Nishionya didn't seem to hear.  Maybe he did hear </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>he just didn't care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>" Akaashi went over to </span>
  <span>Nishinoya </span>
  <span>and held </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> by the shoulders, forcing him to look up.  "Asahi-san probably wants to see you as much as you want to see him.  He seems like the type to reconcile.  So let's try hard to see him again, al</span>
  <span>l </span>
  <span>right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi was sort of bullshitting it.  He didn't know Asahi well enough to say words about him, but it seemed like it was Nishinoya's only sense of motivation right now.  His determined face came back and he held up his wand once more, pointing it out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright!  Let's do this!"  Akaashi offered</span>
  <span> him</span>
  <span> a small smile, nodding and stepping back.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What sound does the spell make again?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ended up sleeping around some time in the morning right before the sun rose.  When they heard howling near them they agreed to keep moving around to make sure they wouldn't get eaten.  Finally they found a relatively safe place and got some sleep under a big oak tree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Akaashi?"  Nishinoya was surprisingly a morning person, shaking Akaashi awake right before the sun was in the middle of the sky, maybe around 10 or 11 AM.  Akaashi woke up, rubbing his eyes and yawning, getting up.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He felt gross all over.</span>
</p><p><span>"Yeah?"  Akaashi's voice was</span> <span>groggy as he woke up, his vision</span><span> finally</span><span> focusing on Nishinoya.  Nishinoya looked different, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Let's start walking now!"  Nishinoya said excitedly, pulling Akaashi up.  He didn't mind, but he really wished </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span> and Nishinoya could've gotten a little more sleep since last night wasn't exactly relaxing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How do you feel?"  Akaashi asked, the two of them walking down a a large hill, knowing the bottom was just more forest, but they took the route anyway.  "I know magic can drain a person sometimes, and you're really powerful.  You're okay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya nodded slowly, biting the inside of his cheek.  "I always got in trouble because of it," he said quietly, looking down at the ground and kicking twigs out of the way.  "Because I couldn't control it.  I always got yelled at or punished because I would do something I didn't mean to.  I've almost been expelled a bunch of times because I’ll almost do magic in front of Muggles by accident.  But I never feel myself doing it.  It just happens."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi didn't know if he should pity or envy such power.  To be so strong and not even feel it - it must be terrifying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Have you ever hurt someone accidentally?"  Akaashi asked, a little more curious about Nishinoya's problem.  He wanted to know what it felt like, what his struggles were.  Maybe even help him a bit if he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Nishinoya said in a soft voice.  Akaashi wonder</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> if it was appropriate to ask, but Nishinoya seemed to sense his interest.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I've hurt Asahi-san before."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi was silent as Nishinoya admitted that he hurt someone he cared about before, which took a lot more courage than Nishinoya ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> already proven throughout the years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In these ways, Akaashi couldn't help but admire Nishinoya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, I know," Akaashi said, looking at Nishinoya, finally realizing what made him look different than usual.  "Your hair.  It's down."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They didn't talk for a few hours, both too tired and too focused </span>
  <span>on </span>
  <span>walking to care about conversation.  Akaashi couldn't lie </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> it unsettled him a bit because Nishinoya was usually jumping around</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> talking gibberish, fooling around and stuff.  Seeing him quiet, even though he wasn't necessarily depressed, gave him a bit of a chill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the middle of the afternoon when the two of them stopped for a break, sitting under a tree with a shady bunch of leaves.  Both of them were hungry and tired, but there wasn't much they could do but walk and pray.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Akaashi," Nishinoya said suddenly, getting Akaashi's attention.  "I have a confession."  Akaashi raised an eyebrow at him, cocking his head.  "Oh?  What is it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya looked at him tentative</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span>.  "I, uh, do know a spell, but</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>" Nishinoya must've thought that Akaashi would interject</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but Akaashi just waited patiently for him to finish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"But it's a bit useless in our situation," Nishinoya said disappointed</span>
  <span>ly</span>
  <span>.  "I mean, it's not exactly a teleportation spell or a conjuring spell.  It's just...I can summon </span>
  <span>lightning</span>
  <span>.  I just wanted to tell you since you were so determined to teach me how to do these spells but I was difficult to teach."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi just patted him on the back, shaking his head.  He couldn't completely understand of course, but he could see why Nishinoya was having a difficult time doing spells.  To hold that much power must be more of a burden than a gift.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You wanna show me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya's face brightened up, back to his normal face it looked like, nodding enthusiastically.  Akaashi was pretty used to Bokuto whenever a spell wouldn't work for him, so he knew how to deal with a dejected spirit, especially when usually they were uplifted.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya took his wand out and the two of them stopped walking.  He held the wand in front of his face, stepping back, and Akaashi did the same, just in case.  It seemed that Nishinoya must have practiced the spell a lot, considering his breathing had changed, like he was holding back a lot of power he </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> have conjured up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ro-o-olli-i-ing..."  Nishinoya pointed his wand</span>
  <span> at</span>
  <span> the sky, his eyes intensely looking up, but Akaashi couldn't look at it properly.  It was too bright and big.  "Thunder!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lightning was summoned, hitting the sky high up, covering the whole space.  Thunder crashed in the wind, lightning hit in multiple places, not just near them, making patterns in the sky Akaashi has never seen before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn't really help their situation, but </span>
  <span>that </span>
  <span>didn't take away the awe Akaashi felt as he watched something so amazing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wow.  That was incredible," Akaashi said with a few claps.  A few people would say Akaashi was being sarcastic, but Nishinoya jumped excitedly, his smile only getting wider and nodding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't you think so?  I was going to use it for the Quidditch </span>
  <span>match</span>
  <span>, but then that whole, you know</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>" Nishinoya laughed </span>
  <span>as </span>
  <span>they</span>
  <span> started to walk again.  "I know it's kinda useless right now, but I thought I could show you.  I didn't want you</span>
  <span> to</span>
  <span> think I couldn't do magic at all."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi didn't think that.  He knew Nishinoya was a good wizard and completely competent.  It wasn't his fault that he was born with more power than the average wizard, and it certainly wasn't his fault that it was difficult to control.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Nishinoya was a good wizard and person.  Sort of like Bokuto, but he would say that Nishinoya was a bit more wild.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's weird," Nishinoya said, now talking more, maybe because he got that spell out of his system.  "We're in the same year but we don't really talk.  Your boyfriend is even in my house.  Why do you think that is?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi wasn't sure as well.  He at first thought that it was because of him, not being that open in the first place and just talking to people closest to him.  He couldn't say he had many friends, and ever since he started dating Bokuto most of is friends ended up being Bokuto's age and not his.  Kuroo, Daichi - Hinata didn't really count, he was more like a little brother of Bokuto that he was fond of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I guess we never mingled with the same group of people," Akaashi shrugged.  "But I guess we can be friends now."  Nishinoya beamed at the suggestion, nodding enthusiastically in a way that made Akaashi smile.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can't wait to keep being friends with you then, Akaashi!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Me too, Nishinoya.  I trust you'll be a good friend to me."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Aka-a-a-a-a-a-ashi-i-i-i-i-i!!"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The familiar screaming voice made Akaashi's heart stop, turning around, his eyes widened as he watched Bokuto running towards him with wide arms opened.  Before he could open his arms too, Akaashi was already crushed in a hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt like crying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Akaashi!"  Bokuto cried into his neck</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Akaashi tr</span>
  <span>ied</span>
  <span> to loosen up so he could hug Bokuto back, but Bokuto seemed determined to stay in </span>
  <span>that </span>
  <span>position</span>
  <span>.  "I never thought I would see you again!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So it wasn't only Akaashi who</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> felt that way.  He couldn't believe he felt silly for missing Bokuto so much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm happy to see you too, Bokuto-san," Akaashi said in his usual calm voice, but on the inside he was screaming.  </span>
  <span>Bokuto was back with him and Akaashi's heart felt at ease once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto finally loosened up, looking at Akaashi and </span>
  <span>then</span>
  <span> lean</span>
  <span>ing</span>
  <span> in for a well</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>deserved kiss that Akaashi ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> been longing for ever since they were separated.  </span>
  <span>His hands made his way to Bokuto's face, cupping his jaw so he could pull him closer, wanting to deepen the kiss even more.  Bokuto's arms were tightened around Akaashi's waist, Akaashi felt his feet lifting off the ground a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He completely forgot for a moment that Nishinoya was there.</span>
</p><p><span>"UGH!"  The sound of disgust got</span> <span>Bokuto to pull away, looking over at Nishinoya</span><span>. A</span><span>t first</span><span> he was </span><span>annoyed that the kiss was broken, but then</span> <span>smiled at his junior.  "Ah, Noya-kun!  It's good to see you-""You could've brought anything but you decided to bring a </span><em><span>Slytherin</span></em><span>?"</span></p><p>
  <span>Akaashi was a bit confused at first, but then took the second to look behind Bokuto's shoulder, eyes widening a bit when he saw Oikawa there, standing with his hip sticking out and a hand on his waist like he was waiting for something.  Oikawa lifted an eyebrow at them, then shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bokuto found me," he explained </span>
  <span>in </span>
  <span>a weirdly sweet tone.  "We've become good friends since then."  He couldn't tell if Oikawa was being sarcastic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!"  Nishinoya suddenly exclaimed, shaking his head vigorously, pointing at Oikawa.  "I'd rather stay in this goddamn forest than get back to Hogwarts with </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, fine," Oikawa shrugged.  "Stay here</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya's jaw dropped, looking at Bokuto for some support.  Bokuto sighed, but he didn't even loosen an inch away from Akaashi.  Akaashi didn't want him to anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Noya, please, play nice-""He'll kill me!  But not before I kill him first!"  Oikawa raised an eyebrow and cocked his head at Nishinoya, smirking a bit.</span>
</p><p><span>"Your hair's down," he commented</span><span>.</span><span> Akaashi could feel the comment</span> <span>coming, closing his eyes and trying not to cringe.  "Did you shrink 10 cm?"  Nishinoya screamed, not even taking his wand out </span><span>before</span><span> jumping at Oikawa.</span></p><p>
  <span>Bokuto's arms suddenly left Akaashi's waist and he caught Nishinoya before he could reach Oikawa.  Nishinoya made some sort of animal noise that Akaashi couldn't identify, shaking and kicking in Bokuto's arms</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but Bokuto just held him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Noya-kun, come on.  We all just want to get back to Hogwarts, okay?  Just...for the next 24 hours."  Akaashi knew Bokuto wasn't fond of Slytherins, but he wasn't heartless either</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and to Akaashi's knowledge he hadn't held a grudge against anyone yet.  He'd get pissed off at someone, but never attack them for something that happened in the past.  He was a big fan of giving second chances and learning lessons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"For fuck</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>s sake!  I lose Asahi-san and now I'm stuck with you," Nishinoya growled, but Oikawa didn't even look threatened.  "What?  You thought I wanted to see you here</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too?"  Nishinoya screamed again, trying to get out of Bokuto's grip, but he just held on tighter, struggling a bit as Nishinoya got more feisty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Noya-kun!  Seriously, he won't kill you.  He doesn't even have a wand on him."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Oh, but I do!"  Nishinoya said excitedly</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e look</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> like he was about to reach for it, but Bokuto stopped him there too.</span>
</p><p><span>"We know."  That's what</span> <span>got Nishinoya to stop.  He looked at Bokuto </span><span>and</span><span> slowly stopp</span><span>ed </span><span>kicking, probably wondering what </span><span>he </span><span>meant.</span></p><p>
  <span>"You know?""Yeah.  We saw your move.  You made </span>
  <span>lightning</span>
  <span>, didn't you?"  Nishinoya</span>
  <span>’s </span>
  <span>and Akaashi's eyes widen</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span>.  There was a mix of surprise and excitement in Nishinoya's face, </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>Akaashi patt</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> him on the back encouragingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"See?"  Akaashi said with a small smile.  "Your spell wasn't useless."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya and Oikawa made an agreement.  They wouldn't piss each other off too much on their journey back to Hogwarts and they wouldn't attempt murder.  Nishinoya seemed irritated when Oikawa accepted the terms so easily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't have a problem.  It's tiny over here who keeps attacking me."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"You think I won't fucking kill you, pretty boy?"  It was Akaashi's turn to hold Nishinoya back.  They wanted to get back without </span>
  <span>losing </span>
  <span>a member.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on, Nishinoya," Akaashi said calmly, seeing how Nishinoya was </span>
  <span>still </span>
  <span>irritated</span>
  <span>. T</span>
  <span>hey couldn't afford to fight, especially over things that could be fought over once they got back.  They just had to get along for a little while, not the rest of their lives.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't you want to see Asahi-san?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This seemed to settle Nishinoya down and g</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span>t him to think a lot clearer.  Even though it was unenthusiastic and he was grumbling, the four of them walk</span>
  <span>ed </span>
  <span>together in the forest, trying to find a way out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi wouldn't let go of Bokuto's hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry I made you go after my Amortentia," Akaashi said quietly, </span>
  <span>un</span>
  <span>able to look at Bokuto properly.  "This wouldn't have happened if I </span>
  <span>hadn’t</span>
  <span> los</span>
  <span>t</span>
  <span> it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Almost like he expected, Bokuto kiss</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> Akaashi's cheek, multiple little pecks over and over again</span>
  <span> that made </span>
  <span>Akaashi giggle in a way only Bokuto could.  It was really nice to have him back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love you, Akaashi.  Have I told you that?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Not enough times for me to be satisfied."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Then I'll say it much more from now on."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Nishinoya</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Nishinoya hated Slytherins.  Has this been mentioned before?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cocky.  Arrogant.  Stubborn.  The most difficult of people to handle.  They pissed him off to no end </span>
  <span>- </span>
  <span>even the sight of them made him gag in disgust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Oikawa.  He was definitely in the top 3 most annoying Slytherins Nishinoya ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> encountered by far.  His head was about to explode</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and</span>
  <span> so was </span>
  <span>Oikawa's because there was no way he was dying out here without impeding his rage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He was acting so responsible earlier," Oikawa mumbled, probably not intending for Nishinoya to hear, but he did anyway.  "Now he's with Akaashi and all of a sudden he's spoiled."</span>
</p><p><span>Nishinoya would rather third</span><span>-</span><span>wheel Bokuto and Akaashi's lovey-dovey reunion than be stuck with Oikawa, that was for fucking sure.  He </span><span>spat</span><span>, aiming for the spot on the ground Oikawa </span><span>would step next</span><span>, </span><span>which made</span> <span>him</span><span> stop and glare at Nishinoya.</span></p><p>
  <span>"What was that for?"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Show them some respect," Nishinoya growled, not wanting to put up with his bullshit right now.  "Don't think you're better than me.  We're both equally fucked out here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought he would hear Oikawa retort something back, maybe make a sound of disinterest or roll his eyes.  But he didn't - instead he just kept walking.  Suspicious, but Nishinoya wasn't letting his guard down.  Oikawa would strike any moment, he could feel it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anything standing between him and an opportunity to see Asahi again was worth getting rid of without question.</span>
</p><p><span>"We saw the </span><span>M</span><span>irror of</span><em><span> Erised</span></em><span>,</span><span> too!"  He could hear Bokuto telling Akaashi about what they'</span><span>d</span><span> been through, and </span><span>al</span><span>though Nishinoya  and Akaashi didn’t  particularly encounter</span> <span>anything exciting, he felt that he would rather them walk peacefully around the Forbidden Forest than meet weird magical creatures that could kill them.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Oh?  What did you see?"  Bokuto giggled before leaning in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> Akaashi's ear and whispering something that made </span>
  <span>him </span>
  <span>blush and kiss Bokuto on the cheek longingly.  The two were basically </span>
  <span>joined at</span>
  <span> the hip, not taking the chance </span>
  <span>to let</span>
  <span> each other go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya wanted to puke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They don't have to rub it in-""Are you gonna keep fucking talking?  I thought we agreed to not piss each other off."  Nishinoya snapped at Oikawa</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> making the Slytherin surprisingly shocked before he laughed bitterly, raising an eyebrow at Nishinoya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's your problem with me</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> anyway?"  Oikawa asked, but it didn't sound like he was actually interested in the answer.  "What the fuck did I even do to you, huh?"</span>
</p><p><span>Nishinoya didn't answer because there were too many things he could say.  They were </span><span>shitheads</span><span> and</span> <span>bullied Sugawara.  They were aggressive bums who taunted Hinata all the time.</span></p><p>
  <span>They were untrustworthy thieves</span>
  <span> who </span>
  <span>made Nishinoya want to steal</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and now he was in a big fight with Asahi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So many fucking reasons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're inconsiderate," Nishinoya ended up saying, not wanting to look at Oikawa.  He probably didn't care about what Nishinoya had to say</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> anyway.  "Just</span>
  <span>...</span>
  <span>stop talking already.  Your voice gives me a headache."  </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was getting darker and everything about the stupid forest looked the same.  Trees everywhere, leaves gathering at Nish</span>
  <span>i</span>
  <span>noya's feet and dirt getting on his cape and robes.  The only thing that was different was </span>
  <span>that </span>
  <span>Akaashi and Bokuto were practically making out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you think your dad's gonna punish me?  Since I'm supposed to be protecting you."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Nonsense.  I can protect you too, Bokuto-san.  I want to protect you.  Even if it's from my dad."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Akaashi!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya sighed loudly, but the couple obviously didn't hear him.  He was pretty sure they were a condom away from fucking right then and there in the forest in front of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn't say that being the third wheel was what was pissing him off</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> though.  It was Oikawa - fucking Oikawa - who was behaving all of a sudden.  It made Nishinoya more suspicious, but he appreciated the silence all the same.  It gave him some space to think.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's take a rest," Akaashi suggested, turning around to look at </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span>.  "It's colder now.  So we might be able to sleep."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Akaashi, keep me warm tonight, okay?"  Akaashi blushed quietly but nodded, kissing Bokuto's nose </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>making Bokuto giggle like a mad man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya thought he tasted vomit at the back of his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I really thought you had your head on straight when we were alone," Oikawa said to Bokuto </span>
  <span>as</span>
  <span> the four of them sat by a tree </span>
  <span>to take</span>
  <span> their rest.  "But you must be really spoiled.  You made me feel like the only lovesick person in the world."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya groaned loudly, </span>
  <span>un</span>
  <span>able to </span>
  <span>stand</span>
  <span> the sound of Oikawa's voice.  "What, are you jealous or something?"  </span>
  <span>h</span>
  <span>e asked rhetorically, but Oikawa didn't seem offended this time.  It threw Nishinoya off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The reply was short, but Nishinoya felt the pain in his voice, watching as his face dropped.  Nishinoya felt jealous as well, he couldn't lie, and he could understand that feeling of watching </span>
  <span>a </span>
  <span>couple loving on each other while his own love life was sinking to the bottom of the ocean.  There must have been a lot on Oikawa's mind</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> if he felt the same as Nishinoya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Keep your jealousy to yourself</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> then," Nishinoya huffed coldly, not wanting to sympathize with Oikawa so easily.  For all he knew</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Oikawa was just annoyed with all the confessions he was getting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi and Bokuto seemed to be having fun, Akaashi sitting comfortably between Bokuto's legs, his back against Bokuto's chest and Bokuto's arms around </span>
  <span>his</span>
  <span> waist.  Nishinoya knew it - they were about to fuck real soon if this kept up.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But the thing was, how could Nishinoya not be happy for them at the same time?  They looked like their life was complete, in love and together.  Nishinoya wanted to wish them happiness and a long life together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe if Bokuto didn't give him Oikawa then he could've done such a thing.</span>
</p><p><span>Nishinoya and Oikawa were sitting as far </span><span>apart</span><span> as possible even though they were</span> <span>in front of each other, avoiding eye contact at all costs.  It was getting later into the night, the sun almost fully set.</span></p><p>
  <span>Asahi didn't like dark places, especially when he was alone.  Did he make it home safe?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nishinoya-"</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"Don't say my name</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  Nishinoya snapped, glaring at him.  "What do you want?"  Oikawa looked shocked</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> of course, but he didn't argue.  Nishinoya knew he probably looked childish, like a kid holding a grudge over something stupid, but he couldn't help it.  He was already so moody, </span>
  <span>and</span>
  <span> a Slytherin was a perfect </span>
  <span>target</span>
  <span> to direct his anger towards.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>If Asahi were here</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he would sweetly tell him to stop.  But </span>
  <span>Asahi</span>
  <span> wasn't here, so Nishionya was free.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can you give me a specific reason why you hate me so much?"  Oikawa asked angrily, Nishinoya being able to feel Oikawa's glare even if he couldn't see it.  "I know I'm inconsiderate, but you're just being a bitch for no reason.  You think that's not annoying?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya didn't respond, not looking at Oikawa and focusing on a piece of grass on the ground.  He didn't know if he wanted to scream in rage or beat the shit out of Oikawa right now for running his mouth like he knew anything.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minor bullying was nothing.  Nishinoya could handle teasing about his height or his size, he didn't mind.  But the way they treated Sugawara, the ignorance they had for the other houses, the fact they were a house that shunned everyone else out and the fact they thought they were better than everyone else - it was enraging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san doesn't like Slytherins," Nishinoya ended up saying, not wanting to have to say much.  "So that means I despise them."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oikawa didn't respond after that and Nishinoya was pretty sure Bokuto and Akaashi were too busy in their own world to care about their quarreling.  Nishinoya felt it wasn't the best idea to scream at Oikawa right now, especially when he had other things to worry about.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Like his relationship with Asahi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's not fair," Oikawa laughed bitterly, shaking his head.  "You don't even know me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya finally looked at him, his eyes narrowing in irritation.  What was he saying?  He didn't need to know Oikawa, </span>
  <span>but </span>
  <span>even still</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he knew just enough to know exactly what he was like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A silver</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>spooned, rotten, </span>
  <span>arrogant </span>
  <span>bitch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?  You want us to play a game to get to know each other?"  Nishinoya snorted, rolling his eyes.  "Don't make me laugh."</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"You're not even trying to see things from my side, are you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya hated it.  These were similar to the words Asahi told him when they fought.  'You're not being fair', but Nishinoya was pretty sure he saw things perfectly fine.  Oikawa was just proving how arrogant he was right now by insisting Nishinoya had no right to judge him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Didn't Oikawa judge Bokuto and Akaashi right away without even watching them for 24 hours?  While Nishinoya's been watching Slytherins for the past 4 years at Hogwarts, knowing what they were like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What am I supposed to see, huh?  Your great lives that are surrounded by nothing but yourselves?"  Oikawa gritted his teeth, leaning forward, his voice raising.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not all of us are like that!""You're different?   Is that what you're saying?"  Oikawa clenched his jaw, leaning back on the tree, huffing as he looked away.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No," Oikawa said softly.  "Not me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was weird.  Oikawa almost looked like he</span>
  <span>’d </span>
  <span>lost the argument.  If it weren't for Oikawa's eye roll</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> maybe Nishinoya would've left him alone, but now his blood was boiling and he hadn't screamed in a good 2 weeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're all the fucking same!"  Nishinoya couldn't feel it as he stood up, but the tree roots lifted </span>
  <span>along </span>
  <span>with him.  "You're all terrible, disgusting monsters </span>
  <span>who</span>
  <span> only think of yourselves!  You know, if it weren't for your stupid house I wouldn't have fought with Asahi-san."  Nishinoya didn't notice how the wind got stronger or the rocks shaking.  </span>
  <span>But</span>
  <span> Bokuto and Akaashi did, getting up as well as they watched Nishinoya rage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You don't have any consideration for anyone!  You're probably only thinking about yourself in this situation too, right?  'How am </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>gonna get out?'  That's what's on your mind?  Not even your friends or how your family would feel if you never came back.  That's what I hate about you Slytherins.  It's always 'me, me, me!</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>"  </span>
  <span>It felt so good getting this out of his system.  Nishinoya didn't know if it was euphoric or relieving - both?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Noya-kun-"</span>
</p><p><span>"You have no one you want to save.  You're not concerned about anyone else but yourself.  You can't even think about how we feel in this situation because you're too busy in your own fucking world!"</span><span><br/></span><span>Light illuminated Nishinoya's outline, beaming around his body</span> <span>as he clenched his fists.  Oikawa gulped, standing up</span> <span>too.</span></p><p><span>"Nish</span><span>i</span><span>noya-""I'm not done!"  Nishinoya snapped, not even sure who </span><span>he</span><span> was mad at anymore.  "And another thing!  You guys give someone nice like Sugawara-san shit for some stupid reason, and</span> <span>what?  He's in your own fucking house!  You can't even stick together, how the fuck is the rest of the world supposed to like you?  You know how upset Daichi-san was when he found out?  Not only are you hurting your own people, but now you're bu</span><span>tti</span><span>ng your head</span><span>s</span><span> in</span><span>to </span><span>other houses?  Stay in your own fucking lane.  You're all just a bunch of scum, horrid</span> <span>people </span><span>who</span><span> need to learn some compassion!"</span></p><p>
  <span>They weren't looking at Nishinoya anymore.  They were looking behind him, their eyes wide and gaping at whatever it was.  Nishnoya slowly turned around too, gasping loudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A black, shadowy figure ghosted around them, staring </span>
  <span>into</span>
  <span> Nishinoya's soul despite having </span>
  <span>none itself</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor - a dark, foul creature that feasted </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span>on the happiness and joy of </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> victims, eating bits of their soul </span>
  <span>until it was satisfied</span>
  <span>.  It was easy for someone to </span>
  <span>succumb to </span>
  <span>them</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and if they held you long enough, then there wouldn't be much </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>you</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> left.  You'd be no better than a dead man.</span>
</p><p><span>"How did it get here..." It might've been Akaashi and Bokuto's overflowing happiness from finding each other.  It might have been Nishinoya's raging spirit  that, in the moment,</span> <span>felt so good to get out.</span><span><br/></span><span>Whatever it was, they needed to do something about it.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Ni-Nishinoya," Akaashi whispered urgently, pulling Nishinoya back.  Everything Nishinoya </span>
  <span>had done</span>
  <span> without knowing - rearranging the trees, lighting up his body - it all reversed, his attention now on the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nishinoya, your wand," Akaashi said more firmly.  "Use it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya went into a state of panic, reaching for it and holding it up, but he didn't know what to do after that.  No - he knew what to do, he just didn't know how to.  He gulped, </span>
  <span>staring</span>
  <span> at the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor, but he couldn't find it in himself to do anything.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It was like the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor was already sucking his soul out of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A happy memory, then '</span>
  <em>
    <span>Expecto patronum</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>  Please, Nishinoya."  The </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor was getting closer, aiming </span>
  <span>at </span>
  <span>Bokuto first.  Akaashi pulled him away</span>
  <span>, but </span>
  <span>Nishinoya could see Akaashi’s grip desperately tightening.</span>
</p><p><span>"Nishinoya, quick.  The</span> <span>happiest memory and then the spell."  Nishinoya knew full well what to do.  But he’d never done it before</span><span>;</span><span> he wasn't even sure if he would be able to summon a </span><span>P</span><span>atronus.  It was difficult, even adult wizards had trouble doing</span><span> it</span><span>.  How could Nishinoya?</span></p><p>
  <span>"Nishinoya, you can do it," Akaashi said reassuringly, but Nishinoya didn't know.  They were all walking backwards, but the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor seemed to be trying to pick </span>
  <span>who</span>
  <span> to feast on first, buying them maybe a few more minutes.  Akaashi was getting anxious</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and Nishinoya could see Bokuto's face paling.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Has the soul </span>
  <span>sucking</span>
  <span> already started?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi..."  It was Oikawa all of a sudden.  Nishinoya whipped his head to look at </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, but Oikawa's eyes were on the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor.  "Asahi.  Thi-Think of Asahi</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span>"  Oikawa said in a tiny voice, and Nishinoya realized even more </span>
  <span>that</span>
  <span> he really needed to do something.</span>
</p><p><span>A happy memory?  Asahi.  Asahi playing Quidditch?  In the summer, playing together, hanging out after</span> <span>and having fun.  Asahi and Quidditch.</span></p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ex-Expecto p-patronum</span>
  </em>
  <span>."  Nishinoya tried, but the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor didn't leave.  In fact, </span>
  <span>it </span>
  <span>started attacking Bokuto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!"  Akaashi screamed, trying to </span>
  <span>hold</span>
  <span> onto </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>, but Bokuto was already being feasted on.  It looked like the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor was sucking Bokuto's life in one go, his face fogging up.  Akaashi's scream only got louder, piercing through the forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!  Ni-Nishinoya, please!"  Akaashi pleaded, looking at Nishinoya, his tears already falling</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>is face hop</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span>less and desperate.  "Nishinoya, do something!"  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A happy memory.  Asahi.  </span>
  <span>Him and </span>
  <span>Asahi kissing for the first time.  Even though he sort of got rejected, Nishinoya was incredibly happy it happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Expecto....Expecto patronum</span>
  </em>
  <span>."  Nishnoya tried again, a small sliver of light emerging from his wand, but it wasn’t enough. It got the Dementor off of Bokuto, though</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Bokuto gasp</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> for air when it let go, looking traumatized.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even more so when the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor aimed for Akaashi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No..." Bokuto sounded weak, unable to reach out for Akaashi as the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor attacked him.  He couldn't fight back.  Nishinoya needed to do this, but he was obviously failing when it mattered most.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iwa-chan!"  Oikawa cried out suddenly, making Nishinoya turn to see </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span> sobbing in a way </span>
  <span>he</span>
  <span>’d </span>
  <span>never seen Oikawa before.  "I wanna see Iwa-chan.  I want Iwa-chan safe.  Oh god, please</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Nishinoya.  I wanna see Iwa-chan again, at least once!  Please!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya watched, Bokuto exhausted and almost lifeless, Akaashi looking like he was getting closer to that state by the second.  Oikawa looking like he was going to break down and crumble with the earth.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>They all needed Nishinoya right now.  Nishinoya needed to help all of them.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A happy memory.  Asahi.  </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You're doing really well!  27 points?  That's 15 more, isn't it?"  </span>
  </em>
  <span>Asahi's smile when he said it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya held his wand a little higher, aiming at the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor, feeling his body about to give out as it left Akaashi and</span>
  <span> turned towards </span>
  <span>Nishinoya.  It was getting closer</span>
  <span>;</span>
  <span> Nishinoya could feel himself going weak already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Expecto patronum</span>
  </em>
  <span>!"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya's </span>
  <span>P</span>
  <span>atronus was a lion.  Roaring loudly, wildly and crazily, attacking the </span>
  <span>D</span>
  <span>ementor with all</span>
  <span> its</span>
  <span> might.</span>
</p><p><span>Nishinoy was</span> <span>drained.</span></p><p><span>"Nishinoya!"  Oikawa cried, catching him as </span><span>he</span><span> fell</span><span>. Hi</span><span>s eyes </span><span>had</span> <span>closed</span><span> without even knowing it.  He was so tired.  The </span><span>P</span><span>atronus was so big and powerful that it probably lit up the whole forest.  </span><span><br/></span><span>Akaashi and Bokuto were regaining </span><span>their </span><span>energy slowly </span><span>and</span><span> starting to stand up, groaning softly</span><span> in</span><span> pain.  Bokuto was able to pick up Akaashi</span><span>,</span><span> though, seeing that </span><span>he</span> <span>was</span><span> more affected than him.</span></p><p><span>"I'll carry Nishinoya," Oikawa </span><span>offered</span><span> softly, carrying him</span> <span>bridal style</span><span>. He was </span><span>glad that he was unconscious</span><span>,</span><span> because he would surely get an ass</span><span>-</span><span>beating when he woke up.  "The </span><span>D</span><span>ementor must've been to protect the school, right?  That means-"</span><span><br/></span><span>"Hogwarts isn't far."  Oikawa finished Bokuto's sentence</span><span>. T</span><span>hey both nodd</span><span>ed</span><span> and start</span><span>ed </span><span>to walk </span><span>in</span><span> the direction the </span><span>D</span><span>ementor came from.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Do you think he'll remember?"  Oikawa asked softly, looking down at Nish</span>
  <span>i</span>
  <span>noya</span>
  <span>. H</span>
  <span>e looked more peaceful than ever, especially since Oikawa ha</span>
  <span>d</span>
  <span> only ever seen Nishinoya angry at him.  It was a new look </span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span> he sort of missed that pissed</span>
  <span>-</span>
  <span>off look.  Bokuto shrugged, looking down at Akaashi and focusing on him more.</span>
</p><p><span>"Nishinoya is crazy powerful, even though it doesn't seem like it," he said, knowing full well Nishinoya's abilities, </span><span>having</span><span> witness</span><span>ed </span><span>quite a few things himself through the years.  Even though it</span> <span>was a bit scary, Bokuto admired it as well.  Nishinoya was able to do so many things </span><span>-</span><span> he had power that very few people in the world possessed.</span></p><p>
  <span>Yet he still chose to goof around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why does he hate Slytherins so much?"  Oikawa asked, not sounding too upset about it, but </span>
  <span>more</span>
  <span> curious.  Bokuto hummed, thinking about the real answer, but maybe no one knew for sure except for Nishinoya himself.</span>
</p><p><span>"I'm not 100% sure, but I do know that Asahi had a girlfriend last year who was</span> <span>Slytherin.  She was really mean to Asahi, even though it only lasted 2 weeks.  But it pissed Nishinoya off.  He was so upset he almost blew up the whole Slytherin tower."</span></p><p>
  <span>Oikawa couldn't help but smirk, not being able to feel a different sort of empathy</span>
  <span> for </span>
  <span>Nishinoya.  He could understand that possessiveness and that what to be the only one in someone's heart.  Even though he wouldn't remember when he woke up, Oikawa was glad.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya saved their lives so they could all stay with the people they loved.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><span>Nishinoya woke up in the </span><span>H</span><span>ospital </span><span>W</span><span>ing at Hogwarts.  There was a sudden jolt in his body, remembering what</span> <span>happened in the forest - the </span><span>D</span><span>ementor, the </span><span>P</span><span>atronus - and figur</span><span>ed</span><span> he would ask questions later.</span></p><p><span>"Asahi-san," Nishinoya gasped, flying out of the bed, feeling perfectly fine.  </span><span>T</span><span>here was chocolate on the side table, so he took some to regain some strength, but</span> <span>started running down the hallways, trying to figure out where to go.  His first thought was the Hufflepuff </span><span>T</span><span>ower, trying to get in, but it seemed that not many students were there in the first place.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Aone!"  Nishinoya exclaimed, seeing Aone and Futakuchi sitting outside, Futakuchi's head bandaged up and Aone feeding him some cake.  They both turned to look at Nishinoya, but Nishinoya was focus</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> on Aone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is Asahi-san here?"  Aone looked up at him and nod</span>
  <span>ded</span>
  <span>, Nishinoya feeling his heart drop.  "Whe-Where?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's been sleeping at the Gryffindor entrance.  He hasn't moved since-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya was already sprinting.  Asahi was here</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> too.  Asahi was at Hogwarts, safe, here, alive.  Asahi was here too</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> and that meant Nishinoya had the opportunity to apologize.  He couldn't even stop himself from crying as he ran faster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san!"  Nishinoya cried out before he made it down the hall, turning to the Gryffindor </span>
  <span>T</span>
  <span>ower.  He could see him.  Asahi sitting on the ground, his knees curled up to his chest, staring at the floor.  Nishinoya didn't want to see that depressed face in particular, but he was so relieved that he was seeing him again that he couldn't bring himself to care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san!"  This time, Asahi looked up.  His eyes went wide, standing up right away, watching as Nishinoya ran to him.  Asahi looked like he was about to cry as well, opening his arms as Nishinoya finally reached him, jumping up and wrapping his arms around Asahi’s neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san," Nishinoya cried into his neck</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>Asahi lift</span>
  <span>ed</span>
  <span> him, but Nishinoya didn't mind that his feet weren't touching the ground.  Asahi wouldn't let him fall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry I yelled at you.  I'm sorry I said you're not brave.  I'm sorry I wasn't fair, I'm sorry I left you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."  Asahi hushed him, rubbing </span>
  <span>his </span>
  <span>back, trying to calm him down</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> but Nishinoya was sobbing in</span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> his neck, just feeling good to be with Asahi again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't the time he</span>
  <span>’d</span>
  <span> spent away from Asahi that </span>
  <span>had </span>
  <span>broke</span>
  <span>n</span>
  <span> him</span>
  <span> - t</span>
  <span>hat was barely 48 hours.  It was the fact that he</span>
  <span> hadn’t </span>
  <span>know</span>
  <span>n </span>
  <span>if he would ever see</span>
  <span> him</span>
  <span> again without reconciling.</span>
</p><p><span>"I'm sorry</span><span>,</span><span> too," Asahi said softly, squeezing his arms around Nishinoya.  "I'm sorry."  Nishinoya sniffled, backing away to look at </span><span>him</span><span>.  Asahi looked tired, his eyes puffed up and his beard having grown more than normal.  Did</span> <span>Asahi ha</span><span>ve </span><span>a hard time</span><span>,</span><span> too?</span></p><p>
  <span>"What are you sorry for?"  Nishinoya asked, actually unsure why.  All Asahi ever did was take care of </span>
  <span>him</span>
  <span>.  It was Nishinoya who </span>
  <span>had been </span>
  <span>immature this whole time.  Asahi just smiled softly, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"For making you wait."</span>
</p><p><span>Asahi leaned in, Nishinoya's eyes widening as he felt his lips touching Asahi's.  His heart was pounding faster than when he was sprinting earlier, but he felt more energy than ever before.</span><span><br/></span><span>Without hesitation, Nishinoya tightened his arms around Asahi's neck, pulling him closer </span><span>and </span><span>blocking out everything else.  It was just him and Asahi, safe in each other's arms.  Asahi was okay, Nishinoya was okay.</span><span><br/></span><span>He wouldn't question it.  Nishinoya</span> <span>was filled with happiness as he lengthened the kiss when Asahi tried </span><span>to pull </span><span>away, not wanting to let go.  He didn't want this to be over, even if he found </span><span>out</span><span> it was</span><span> all a</span><span> dream.  He didn't want to wake up if it meant he wouldn't be with Asahi.</span></p><p>
  <span>But alas, he had to pull away sometime.  He wasn't sure how much time passed, but when he pulled away Asahi was still there, a few tears having slipped out as well.  Nishinoya leaned in to kiss him again, but it wasn't as long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi wasn't going anywhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry," Asahi said again, pressing their foreheads together.  "You must've been sad waiting for me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nishinoya couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head.  That wasn't the problem.  That was never the problem.  He hated how Asahi thought it was his fault, but now that they were like this, Nishinoya could </span>
  <span>spend their time together reassuring Asahi over and over again that it wasn't and it probably never would be.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Asahi-san," Nishinoya breathed out, closing his eyes, tightening his arms again, because he just didn’t want to let go.  Asahi was here, in his arms, with him.  And Asahi wasn't letting go</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Even if it was 100 years, I would wait for you.  I'd wait however long you needed, as long it's Asahi-san I'm waiting for."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Funny story, I actually didn't plan on giving them a kiss scene until the end but again, my fingers decided to do it's own thing :P :P :P &gt;.&lt;  Hope it's fine, but I couldn't control them (they have a mind of their own lol)</p><p>EDITED BY: 104 (Ao3 User)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Daichi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daichi was pretty sure he was dead.</p><p>There was no way he could still be alive, not after taking the hit of the spell, various deflects going around just to have him come out with simple bruises.  Either he was very lucky, or this was a sign from the universe he really needed to get back so he could apologize to Sugawara.</p><p>He'd given that day a lot of thought and why Sugawara was so upset that it was Daichi who found him.  What was wrong with Daichi knowing?  In fact Daichi felt he should've been mad because Sugawara <em>didn't </em>tell him anything.<br/>So why did Sugawara look more hurt when Daichi saved him?</p><p>He couldn't do the math on his own.  He really needed advice right now, but it seemed like he was here alone right now.  His bruised body and no sense of direction, trying to get back to Hogwarts on his own.<br/>At least he'd have some time to think, right?</p><p>"Sugawara likes me, but he doesn't believe me," he mumbled to himself, finding it easier to say it out loud so his thoughts could be projected to the world.  Walking also seemed to calm him down, seeing how he didn't have his wand and his broom snapped in half when he fell.<br/>"But I've said it so many times too.  So that means he might be thinking of a different like?  No..."  Daichi thought his brain was going to melt doing all of this.  He was starting to think romance was too complicated.  Maybe it wasn't so bad if him and Sugawara stayed as best friends.</p><p>No.  Daichi wanted to be more than friends.  'Just friends' wouldn't want to sleep together, right?  Sugawara and him have slept in the same bed multiple times, but now that Daichi was getting at the age where he should be horny all the time (his friends certainly were) he felt like he wanted more with Sugawara than just spooning.  It felt nice, but Daichi craved something a little more.</p><p>He's asked himself multiple times before - is Sugawara more than just a friend to him?  Or was Daichi just getting excited all of a sudden because he was growing up and Sugawara liked him.  Daichi has pondered about this over and over and over again because this was important.  How did he like Sugawara?</p><p>His answer would never change though.  Daichi wanted to marry Sugawara.</p><p>His parents told him that if you kept thinking about someone that meant that person either is very important to you or they've done you a great wrong.  Daichi didn't even hesitate - Sugawara was the most important person to him!<br/>He didn't want to spend the rest of his life with anyone else.</p><p> </p><p>"Ushijima?"</p><p>Ushijima was...grilling?  No, maybe frying.  He was holding a dead bird skewered on a stick over a fire roasting it - that was it.  He was roasting.</p><p>"Oh, hello, Daichi," Ushijima greeted, looking up at Daichi, but Daichi wasn't sure how he was supposed to react.  Was he allowed to join Ushijima?  They weren't exactly friends.<br/>He really thought Ushijima would at least offer him to sit, or a little piece of bird though.  He didn't care what it was, Daichi was starving.</p><p>"Uhm, sorry," Daichi laughed nervously, Ushijima's intense stare practically penetrating him as he sat down across the fire from him.  Even though he couldn't read his expression, Daichi couldn't contain his desperation for a little human contact and some food.  Ushijima looked like he was good at surviving.</p><p>Actually, now that Daichi was sitting in Ushijima's little circle, he noticed it all.  Ushijima looked like he was staying out in the woods as some sort of camping trip, it would've fooled Daichi otherwise.</p><p>"Where'd you get this?"  Daichi saw that Ushijima took moss and placed it on a large rock, and when he touched it the moss was so soft that Daichi felt that even the rock wouldn't have made it uncomfortable.  The tree branches were pulled down in a certain way and Daichi realized they were made to be traps for birds, a hand made cage made out of branches disguised at the top, probably snatching down when a bird landed under it.  There was even a bowl of water, the bowl being a shell of a turtle.  Daichi didn't want to ask where Ushijima got it from.</p><p>"Wow, you..." Daichi looked back at Ushijima who was looking at Daichi blankly in a way that unsettled him.  What was he thinking?  Did he not want Daichi there?  "You really made yourself at home."</p><p>Ushijima cocked his head, finishing roasting the bird then surprisingly gave it to Daichi.  Without question, Daichi took it and started eating it, finding anything edible at this point as long as he didn't die.  It was fine, it just tasted like chicken.</p><p>"I do not plan to make this my home though," Ushijima said flatly, looking Daichi straight in the eyes.  "It is not a good living condition for the long term.  There is a lot of things that have went wrong already."</p><p>Did he know that Daichi was just joking?  Or was Daichi's joke just not funny to him?  To be honest, this must've been the first time he's been alone with Ushijima like this.  Maybe they had different senses of humour.</p><p>"Like what?"  Daichi asked, maybe making some conversation with Ushijima and finding out what he was really like off the Quidditch arena.  "What things went wrong?"</p><p>Ushijima was silent for a moment, looking into the fire.  Daichi wasn't sure how he made it, assuming Ushijima lost his wand as well.  If Ushijima had his wand then he would surely be at Hogwarts and not here in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.</p><p>"Tendou," Ushijima finally said in a low voice.  "I lost Tendou."</p><p>Daichi felt his own heart stop even though he didn't particularly know (maybe not even like) Tendou that much.  He had a feeling that wasn't something that he should be telling Ushijima though.</p><p>"I lost Suga too," Daichi said, trying to empathize with Ushijima.  "So I'm trying to find him.  We can find them together."  </p><p>Ushijima looked up from the fire, right at Daichi, not even wavering.  "But you and Sugawara are not even lovers.  Why are you trying to find him?"  Daichi took it right to the heart like an arrow Ushijima lube up with tar and then lit on fire as he pierced it through him.  He knew that his relationship with Sugawara wasn't the same as Ushijima's and Tendou's, but he didn't have to put it like that.</p><p>"I want to be become lovers," Daichi mumbled, feeling the heat of the fire spreading on his cheeks, not expecting this to be one of the first conversations he had with Ushijima.  "I mean, it would be nice if we were, so I want to find him as soon as possible, but..."</p><p>Ushijima didn't look interested in Daichi's love problems, but he surprised Daichi by responding.  "Have you told him?"  Ushijima asked making Daichi slump his shoulders and nod several times.<br/>"Yeah.  But he doesn't believe me."  Ushijima didn't seem like the type of person who was good at romance, but then again him and Tendou were dating and Daichi and Sugawara were not.  So, what could Daichi say?</p><p>"That sounds familiar," Ushijima said, looking up like he was thinking then nodded.  "I think because it sounds similar to when I told Tendou I like him."</p><p>This was news to Daichi.  Ushijima didn't seem like the type to confess first, and he wasn't even trying to hide his surprise because he couldn't picture it at all.  Ushijima saying such cringey words - impossible.</p><p>"Uh, really?"  Daichi coughed, trying to sound like he was indifferent about it, and Ushijima seemed to buy it.  "Y-You told Tendou first that you like him?  Or, like, you..." Daichi really had only one question, but it seemed a little awkward to be curious about who confessed first.  Him and Ushijima weren't really friends.</p><p>"I did," Ushijima nodded, not even looking flustered, which Daichi felt silly about all of a sudden for blushing.  Ushijima looked so cool talking about love, while Daichi was getting hot just thinking about the word 'love' and Sugawara in the same fantasy.</p><p>"How did you make him believe you?"  Ushijima was silent for a moment, like he was contemplating whether or not he should tell Daichi.  But Daichi was waiting for an answer anyway, not even sure what kind of answer he was expecting from Ushijima.  <br/>Did he mention him and Ushijima didn't know each other well?</p><p>"Intimate things," Ushijima answered, a little too seriously that Daichi thought he was joking.  "He taught me what to do and eventually believed me.  That was how I got my feelings properly across."</p><p>Daichi coughed louder this time, not expecting <em>that</em>.  Was he supposed to seduce Sugawara now too?  It was hard enough just to say 'I like you', how was he supposed to even get a mood like that going?<br/>If Sugawara saw a male's body, would he even get turned on?<br/>But the biggest shocker was Ushijima.  How even though it was a little bit, in the fire, Ushijima was blushing his cheeks slightly pink and avoiding eye contact.  Daichi couldn't help but smile, feeling like Ushijima actually did want to help him, for whatever reason.</p><p>"Thanks, Ushijima.  Maybe I should get some tips from Tendou next," he said with a joking voice, but Ushijima's eyes widened, standing up and glaring at Daichi.  He looked angry.  Daichi froze, watching as Ushijima went from a blank face to all of a sudden jealous.  Didn't Ushijima know he was just joking?</p><p>"Tendou is my boyfriend!  You cannot ask him for things like that!""I-I know!  I was just kidding!"</p><p> </p><p>Night time came.  Ushijima was too calm.  They didn't even move from their spot, they haven't walked at all and Ushijima insisted that they didn't go anywhere even though that made no sense at all.</p><p>"We have to at least find a town or something," Daichi pressed, watching as Ushijima was lying down on his moss bed, ignoring Daichi it seemed because he turned his back on him too.  Weren't they just getting along a few hours ago?  What was this sudden cold shoulder he was getting?</p><p>"If you want to go, then go," Ushijima said gruffly making Daichi's jaw dropped, sputtering at the suggestion.  Ushijima really must've been making a home out here because he showed no desire whatsoever to get out of here and it was making Daichi anxious and frustrated.  First they don't even walk for the whole day while Ushijima was playing boy scout, and now that it was nighttime and weird magical creatures were gonna emerge any minute now while Ushijima was acting like the calmest person ever!  What was his damn problem?</p><p>"Ushijima, if we split up it might be-""I will stay here," Ushijima said stubbornly.  Daichi's eye twitched letting out a big groan, pacing around Ushijima's little living area, weighing out the options.</p><p>1) If Ushijima was left alone here he might never go back to Hogwarts and Daichi would have to live with the thought that he could have been with Ushijima and help him but he was so caught up in his own business that he turned selfish and left.<br/>2) If Daichi left, he had a better chance finding Sugawara.</p><p>It was really difficult.  Daichi couldn't just leave someone in the middle of the forest no matter how capable they seemed, but at the same time Sugawara might be out there.  What if he was in danger?</p><p>"Please, Ushijima, let's go together.  I'll even help you carry some-""Hush."  Ushijima all of a sudden sat up, listening to something that Daichi couldn't hear at first, but then when everything was quiet except for the wind between them, Daichi could hear it.</p><p>Howling.  Loud howling.  When he looked up he saw the full moon.</p><p>"Ushijima, we should-" Ushijima was already up and running.  It took Daichi by surprise, wanting to follow him, running behind him and trying to figure out where he was going.  It didn't take Daichi a long time to realize Ushijima was actually <em>following </em>the sound of the howling instead of avoiding it.<br/>What did he think he was doing?  Ushijima was intense, but this was absurd.</p><p>"Wait!  Ushijima, wait!"  Daichi screamed, but Ushijima was way too fast.  Daichi was sprinting at full speed but Ushijima didn't even look like he was having a hard time, jogging.  <br/>"Ushi-Ushijima, the howling is getting louder!"</p><p>Ushijima was looking around, like he was looking for something but Daichi didn't know what he could possibly looking for, just going with Ushijima in hopes that he was safe and would be there if he needed protection.</p><p>That's when he saw it.  A werewolf - big and red, staring down Ushijima like a meal.  </p><p>Daichi didn't know how Ushijima could be so calm.</p><p>"Ushijima!"  The werewolf lunged to Ushijima and Ushijima wasn't even moving.  Instinctively, Daichi dove in, pushing Ushijima out of the way so that the werewolf missed, hitting the ground, whimpering a bit as it shook off the fall.</p><p>Ushijima gasped, glaring at Daichi which Daichi didn't understand - he literally just saved Ushijima's life.  "Ushijima, wait-" but Ushijima was making his way to the werewolf again.  The werewolf growled, walking over in their direction, slowly analyzing Ushijima before it came even closer.  Ushijima was reaching out to touch it, the werewolf's mouth opening slightly as Ushijima offered him his hand.</p><p>Daichi couldn't watch.  "Ushijima!"  Daichi reached to pull Ushijima out of the way, trying to protect him, getting him away from the werewolf.  To his surprise the werewolf whimpered again, backing away until it turned around completely, running off.</p><p>"Tendou!"  Tendou?</p><p>What was even more surprising, Ushijima was glaring at Daichi angrily, pushing Daichi's shoulders to make him step back.  Daichi just saved him...didn't he?</p><p>"What was that for?!"  Ushijima screamed, his normal calm demeanor turning into rage, his neck straining and his face red.  Daichi didn't know if the werewolf was scarier or this.<br/>"I had it under control!  I had-I had <em>him</em>!  Why could you not just-" Ushijima let out a groan of frustration, looking in the direction the werewolf went, letting out grunt.  He didn't look at Daichi again.<br/>"Do not follow me if you are just going to be in my way."</p><p>Ushijima was running away, Daichi watching him with uncertainty.  He was just trying to help, wasn't he?  He thought he was helping.  It looked like he was helping.</p><p>Daichi didn't know why he thought of it at that very moment, but it came to his mind anyway.  He was was starting to understand why Sugawara didn't tell him.  </p><p> </p><p>In the morning, Ushijima found him again.  He looked calmed down, but exhausted, like he stayed up all night.  Daichi wasn't sure what to say to him.  Ushijima looked livid last night when he lost the werewolf.</p><p>"Ushijima-""I do not need to hear an apology when you do not even understand what you are apologizing for."  Daichi shut up quickly, nodding, the two of them sitting down under a tree, not looking at each other and not saying anything.</p><p>"Daichi," Ushijima said first after maybe 30 minutes of silence between them.  "Do you know what the penalty is for being a werewolf?"  Daichi nodded slowly, but Ushijima didn't see it.<br/>"He could go to Azkaban.  He does not need to do anything - he can go to prison for existing.  Do you understand this?"  Daichi didn't. It happened too fast, he wanted to ask again who he was talking about, but Ushijima seemed more tensed up.  This was a serious topic and if Ushijima needed this to be taken seriously Daichi would take it seriously.</p><p>"I understand, Ushijima-""You do not," Ushijima cut him off, closely snapping at him.  Daichi flinched but quickly relaxed when Ushijima sighed, shaking his head.  "I apologize..." Daichi wanted to say something along the lines of 'don't apologize', but Ushijima wasn't finished either yet.</p><p>"I understand what you were trying to do last night, but it was unnecessary.  You should have trusted I knew what I was doing and I wouldn't be as careless as to throw myself into a dangerous situation.  Especially when I have someone to go home to.  So Daichi, I cannot forgive this easily because you do not understand what you have done.  He must have been scared and confused and you just..." Ushijima let out a frustrated sigh, looking upwards at the sky.  "Please.  Do not do such a thing again if the moment comes."</p><p>Daichi felt foolish, but also a bit like he was being blamed too hard.  He didn't know.  He didn't know the werewolf was Tendou and he had no idea Ushijima was trying to tame him.  He didn't know Tendou could recognize Ushijima and he didn't know that Tendou was scared when all of a sudden Daichi stood in between them.  He didn't know.</p><p>"I won't," Daichi promised.  "I'll trust you a little more in the future.  I'm sorry Ushijima, for, I guess, chasing him away.  It wasn't my intention."  He saw Ushijima nod, then stood up, Daichi following his lead.</p><p>"You want to walk, correct?"  Ushijima said, Daichi nodding slowly as Ushijima started walking.  "Let us walk together then," Ushijima looked at him.  "There will be no full moon tonight."</p><p>So they were walking now until lightening hit.  In the sky then it disappeared like it never happened.  Daichi knew what it was right away when it vanished so suddenly, almost getting too excited.</p><p>"Noya!"  He exclaimed, turning around in the direction that the lightening came from.  Nishinoya was in the forest too.  Other people were in this forest, and Nishinoya was able to do a spell - he had a wand.</p><p>"Nishinoya?"  Ushijima repeated, following Daichi's fast steps as they went around the forest.  He was pretty sure he knew where it came from, and he was certain it was Nishinoya because he made the spell up himself.  Not everyone would just conjure up lightening for no reason.</p><p>"Yeah.  Yeah, that means he has a wand.  And if he has a wand, that means he has magic," Daichi panted softly, not even noticing his walking had turned into a jog.  They were going about the forest now, Daichi whipping his head every few seconds in hopes of seeing Nishinoya, but he wasn't focused on what was in front of him anymore.  All of a sudden he was tumbling down, tripping over a tree root and falling over.</p><p>"Daichi!"  Ushijima called out, carefully following him down the small hill he fell down, going beside him when Daichi finally stopped rolling.  He groaned softly, feeling the bruises that were already on his body aching more, rustling around.  He opened his eyes slowly, noticing he was surrounded by leaves and twigs.  <br/>He must have landed in a bush.</p><p>"Ah, shit," he moaned softly, trying to get up.  When he emerged from the bushes it looked like Ushijima was waiting for him, crouched down.  Ushijima lent him a hand, pulling him out of the bush, Daichi's body taking the injuries.  </p><p>"That hurt more than I thought.  I didn't think-""What the fuck is it?"  A voice that wasn't Ushijima's or Daichi's said.  A voice that wasn't unfamiliar, but it got Daichi's attention, recognizing it immediately.  <br/>Ushijima must have recognized something as well because without hesitating he stood up, peering over the bush, checking who it was.</p><p> </p><p>"Tendou!"<br/>"Waka-chan!!" </p><p>Daichi's eyes widened as he saw Tendou jumping over the bush, wrapping his arms around Ushijima's neck and his legs around his waist.  Ushijima's arms went to Tendou's wasit, pulling him in for a proper hug as well, and Daichi was sure Tendou was crying.</p><p>"I-I couldn't stop smelling you.  I couldn't-It-It was too much!  I'm sorry I couldn't find you, I really wanted to-""Shh, it is not your fault."  All of a sudden Ushijima's voice was soft and tender, a voice that Daichi was sure only Tendou would hear.  It made Daichi think about what other secrets couples must be keeping from the world, what other sides of Ushijima did he only show Tendou.<br/>What sides of Daichi did he only keep for Sugawara?</p><p>"And I was even taken care of during the full moon, so it's not that bad, Waka-chan!  I didn't get hurt!"  Ushijima looked over Tendou's shoulder, then looked down at Daichi who was still on the ground.  There was a weird tension in the air that Daichi wasn't sure why existed until Ushijima nodded his head, signalling for Daichi to get up.  Daichi stood, turning his head to see what Ushijima wanted him to see.<br/>Daichi's heart almost stopped.</p><p>"Suga-""Daichi-kun!"  Sugawara did the same as Tendou, jumping over the bush and wrapping his arms around Daichi, pulling him in for a tight hug, surprising Daichi for sure.  Daichi didn't hesitate hugging him back.</p><p>"Daichi-kun..." Sugawara whispered softly in his ear, making Daichi shiver but he ignored it for now, blaming the cold.  Sugawara's hands were going from his neck, down Daichi's back, landing right on the small of it as his face nuzzled in the crook of Daichi's neck.<br/>All of a sudden everything was warm.</p><p>"How did you find us?"  Tendou asked, dropping his legs from Ushijima's waist, standing on his own now but was still holding onto Ushijima tightly.  Daichi looked over at them, stuttering a bit, still in shock that they found each other.<br/>"Oh, it was sort of an accident... But we were looking for you!  It just took a while."  Sugawara was still clinging onto Daichi and Daichi didn't mind one bit.  Having Sugawara so close again, his heart felt at peace and the world just felt right once more.</p><p>"Even if we don't make it to Hogwarts, I'll be fine," Tendou giggled, kissing Ushijima's face over and over again, Ushijima just standing there and accepting it.  It wasn't until Tendou reached his lips that Ushijima finally kissed back.</p><p>Daichi hated that he felt jealous and wanted Sugawara to do the same.</p><p> </p><p>They ended up walking, the four of them, Tendou clinging onto Ushijima for dear life and Sugawara and Daichi walking beside each other.  Daichi wondered if it would be okay to hold hands, but they haven't talked in weeks.  Maybe Sugawara just clung to him in the spur of the moment.</p><p>"Daichi-kun..." Sugawara said softly, getting Daichi's attention right away.  "Yeah?"'Can we talk?  About, uh, when you caught me in the bathroom with..."  Daichi nodded, not letting Sugawara finish the sentence.</p><p>They let Ushijima and Tendou go ahead, trailing a few metres behind to give each other some privacy.  Daichi stayed quiet, listening to Sugawara's side, ready to accept anything he had to say with an open mind.</p><p>"It was wrong of me not to tell you," Sugawara said, surprising Daichi enough to stop walking.  He was looking at Sugawara, his eyes wide.  Sugawara stopped with him.</p><p>"I should've told you sooner.  I didn't want you to get involved but that only made things worse and you were even more worried.  But I want you to know, it's not because I didn't trust you.  You're a special person to me because I trust you.  I just...I let my pride get in the way of our friendship, and I ended up not saying anything at all.  I didn't want you to think I'm weak."</p><p>Daichi waited till Sugawara was finished, letting the words sink in to both of them.  Daichi thought he knew Sugawara well, and if there was something he wasn't it was weak.  Sugawara was an amazing person and wizard and Daichi felt stupid for not telling him more.</p><p>"You're not weak, Suga.  Far from it," he said assertively, Sugawara's eyes widening at Daichi.  He could see Sugawara gulping, but Daichi wanted to tell him something truthful too.  He needed to let Sugawara know.<br/>"You're the strongest person I know.  You can endure anything and you've really shown me a side of you I thought I could never reach.  But because of you, I think I can get a little bit closer," Daichi took Sugawara's hand, his heart about to pop but he needed to do this.  He needed Sugawara.<br/>"I wished you relied on me a little bit more.  But now I know, you need me to be someone who is reliable.  Not just someone who will take charge without understanding you first.  I know that now so," Daichi looked at Sugawara, trying to look as sincere as possible.  Because he was, and he wanted Sugawara to see it.</p><p>"Is it okay if I stay by your side?  Even in the future, even when we're old.  Can it be me who you rely on?"</p><p>Sugawara's lips trembled and he started laughing, rubbing his eyes.  Daichi couldn't help but smile back.</p><p>"Stupid Daichi-kun.  That sounds like a proposal."  Daichi bit his lip, pulling Sugawara closer so he could put his arms around his waist, a closeness they've experienced many times, but this time it felt different.<br/>He hoped Sugawara could feel it too.</p><p>"So what if it is?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Ushijima</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Of course Ushijima knew how to survive.  He didn't spend 2 years camping outside of the Ravenclaw tower, waiting for Tendou to come back from the forest, just by sitting there.  Ushijima knew how to survive in the great outdoors, but everyone could probably agree Ushijima would've figured everything out by himself anyway, whether or not he had prior experience.</p><p>"And then I woke up and we walked and walked, and then Sugawara and I found you!  Isn't that such an interesting story?"  Tendou has been going over the past 24 hours or so of being with Sugawara and Ushijima was ready to dare say Tendou made a friend.</p><p>A weirdly formed relationship, ex-bully victim, probably was still iffy about Tendou kind of friend, but regardless, a friend.  Ushijima was just glad that the full moon didn't take a huge hit on Tendou.<br/>
Or, at least, that's how Tendou was making it out.  Ushijima was still unsure, especially after last night when Tendou ran away, but he kept assuring Ushijimma that he was fine.  Something in the pit of Ushijima's stomach was telling him that he should keep asking every few moments just in case, but Tendou seemed to be getting annoyed with the constant pestering.</p><p>"Tendou, we can sit down now if you-""I'm fine, Waka-chan!  If you're walking beside me I can walk for years!"  Ushijima furrowed his eyebrows at Tendou, looking down at him.</p><p>"That would be impossible and problematic.""Nu-uh!  Not if I'm walking with Waka-chan!"</p><p>Ushijima didn't understand Tendou when he said things like this.  It didn't make sense to him, and the word 'exaggeration' wasn't totally clear in his vocabulary either.  But Tendou looked happy, so Ushijima didn't put too much thought to it for now.<br/>
It only made him worry when Tendou's declarations were very doable.</p><p>"So should we keep walking?  Until we reach Hogwarts?"  Daichi asked, catching up to the Ushijima and Tendou, Sugawara right beside him.  He wondered if they had made up and if Daichi was able to clear things up.  He didn't think his advice was that useful, especially when Tendou seemed to be quite different from Sugawara, but he didn't mind answering his questions back then.  It seemed that Daichi needed answers too.</p><p>"I think that would be the best option," Ushijima nodded, looking inside the woods, just more trees and leaves and nature.  Ushijima didn't mind the atmosphere, in fact it was quite relaxing.  There was a nice air to it, and Tendou was the perfect addition. <br/>
Tendou could make any place home for Ushijima.</p><p>"Hogwarts cannot be too far, I think," Ushijima said, though he couldn't be too confident.  There was no indication that they were close, but how far could they have landed, right?  They've been walking all day.</p><p>"Waka-chan."  Tendou was linking their arms and basically hugging and holding onto him.  "Yes?""Nothing."</p><p>Tendou was also clingier than usual, and that was saying something.  He wasn't letting go of Ushijima at all, kissing his cheek or his chin every few minutes.  Ushijima didn't mind it in particular, Tendou probably just missed him a lot.</p><p>Ushijima missed him too. </p><p> </p><p>It was evening now, but there was no full moon that night, so there was no worrying for them.  Tendou would be alright and they would all be safe, just trying to get back home.</p><p>Ushijima noticed it.  He was wondering if Daichi noticed it too.  Tendou seemed too happy to notice it and Sugawara not any different.  He wanted to ask Daichi, but there was no time alone with him.  It was starting to concern Ushijima the more time passed on, even when the stars came out and the last quarter moon came out, giving them light to see each other.</p><p>No one was rushing to get back home.</p><p>Daichi before was so anxious to get somewhere before, but ever since they reunited, he seemed to be taking things easy.  And Tendou really didn't seem to care, just staying cuddled up to Ushijima the whole time, not even talking about Hogwarts or going home.  It was like they were just walking for fun, like this was a group trip they all agreed to go on and not even a day before were they all desperate to get back.</p><p>"Tendou," Ushijima whispered, Tendou between Ushijima's legs, laying on him, his head resting on Ushijima's chest.  Tendou hummed, turning his head up and looking at Ushijima with a tired smile.<br/>
"Yes, Waka-chan?"  Ushijima gulped, seeing how laid back Tendou was right now.  At school he always had a crazy, arrogant front to him that Ushijima didn't realize he's gotten used to.  He was only like this with Ushijima, but now Sugawara and Daichi were here too and Tendou has been letting his guard down.<br/>
Ushijima thought he liked it, but now he couldn't stop thinking.</p><p>"You want to go home, do you not?"  Ushijima should've sensed that Tendou was hesitating with his answer when there was a silence between them for a few minutes.  Ushijima just waited patiently.</p><p>"I mean, Wakatoshi," Tendou laughed softly.  "Last night, even though it started off scary, that was the first time I went a full moon without killing anything.  And it felt pretty...nice."  Ushijima watched his face, trying to understand.  <br/>
As usual, he couldn't.</p><p>"Wakatoshi, I love my home and I love my family.  But you're my family too.  And I've realized that you've become my home too.  So if I'm with you, it doesn't matter where I am.  I feel safe."  Ushijima gulped, his assumptions hazing as to what Tendou was prompting to, not sure if he was ready to hear it.  Tendou just shrugged, leaning up so his chin was resting on Ushijima's collarbone.</p><p>"Doesn't it sound nice?  Running away together."</p><p>Ushijima stilled, his eyes staying on Tendou, not being able to respond right away.  It didn't sound terrible, he could say that.  But it didn't sound right either.  They were still in school, still so young.  They had lots to look forward to, a lot to live for.  If they were to run away in a forest, just barely surviving, Ushijima wasn't sure if it would be so much living than surviving.  Running away, even if it wasn't to the forest necessarily, was a careless decision.  There wasn't much thought to it, especially since Tendou has only been away from home for barely 2 days.  It wasn't a good idea.</p><p>"I was just kidding, Wakatoshi.  Don't look so serious," Tendou pecked his lips before resting his head on Ushijima's shoulder again, Ushijima guessing that Tendou was asleep now.</p><p>Ushijima had a weird feeling though, that Tendou was not kidding.</p><p> </p><p>"Ah, I feel refreshed!"  Sugawara, stretched, the first one to wake up.  Ushijima couldn't sleep last night, thinking over and over again about what Tendou said about running away and how he wanted to.  Tendou didn't look tired either, but he did look a little distant when he woke up.  Daichi looked fine as well, helping Sugawara with his bed hair, combing it down with his fingers.</p><p>"So we keep walking today," Daichi said, but the tone wasn't the same as yesterday.  There was no urgency or determination.  It was just walking ever so regularly, as if walking for days was normal.  No one was complaining, even though they haven't had a proper meal or a nice place to sleep or a hot shower.  Everyone was...fine.</p><p>And in a normal situation, Ushijima would be fine as well.  He wouldn't be worried because he didn't mind not having magic, he didn't mind having to work a little harder to see tomorrow, he really didn't mind.</p><p>But when everyone didn't mind, that's when it was a problem.  No one was trying.</p><p>What else could he do though?  It wasn't like he could motivate anyone with magic, or even bring up good things about Hogwarts that could make them want to go home.  He rarely knew Daichi and Sugawara, so they were off the table.<br/>
Tendou.  Now, Ushijima knew what Tendou must have wanted.</p><p>"Tendou, do you want me to carry you?"  Tendou's eyes widened and all of a sudden he brightened up, nodding eagerly.  Ushijima stopped walking, crouching down so Tendou could jump on his back, wrapping his arms around his neck and getting a piggyback ride from Ushijima. </p><p>"So sweet to me," Tendou cooed, kissing the back of Ushijima's neck, Ushijima almost felt bad.  He just didn't want Tendou slowing them down in any way, so he would be Tendou's legs until they reached Hogwarts.</p><p>"You should carry me too, Daichi-kun.""Do you want me to?"</p><p>Ushijima didn't pay too much attention to the other two, telling himself that they would make a decision on their own whether or not Ushijima influenced or questioned them.  They each had their own problems right now.</p><p>"Why all of a sudden, Waka-chan?"  Tendou asked, but his voice wasn't that cheerul, joking one.  Like he was actually curious.  "Is it because of what I said last night?"</p><p>Ushijima didn't respond at first, hesitating before shaking his head.  He didn't like lying, and he was shit at it.  But if he were to say it, he could predict Tendou's responses and he wouldn't know how to handle those either.</p><p>"I told you I was just joking."</p><p>Tendou didn't sound like he was joking though.  And the more Ushijima thought about it, the more he found himself realizing why.  Tendou probably felt so free last night, not having to be home at a certain time, not having to find Hogwarts before the sun rose up again.  Even though he went feral, it was probably the first full moon where Tendou didn't have to worry about the next morning.<br/>
Tendou's first time where being a werewolf was close to normal.</p><p>"I know," Ushijima said, looking forward as the trees amount of trees started decreasing.  "I heard you.""But you don't believe me.  Do you?"</p><p>Ushijima didn't respond.</p><p> </p><p>"Hogwarts?"</p><p>He wasn't sure why it was a question when the big tower was right there in front of them, only steps away but all of them were standing at the edge of the forest, like there was a hesitation to get back. <br/>
Tendou was still on Ushijima's back, Tendou not complaining and Ushijima willing to carry him the whole way.  It seemed they made it back faster than any of them thought.</p><p>It was the middle of the day.  Professors were monitoring the outskirts, walking around and spotting different students making it back.  No one had noticed them yet, probably because they were still a bit behind the trees, looking out.  No one was moving.</p><p>Why was no one moving?</p><p>"Daichi-kun?"  Sugawara looked over at Daichi, reaching his hand out so Daichi could take it.  There was a shake, a pause of thought before Daichi smiled and nodded, taking Sugawara's hand and following him.  Daichi looked over at Ushijima and Tendou, stopping like he was waiting for them.<br/>
"Aren't you coming?"</p><p>Ushijima gulped, putting Tendou down and Tendou didn't complain.  "You can go before us," Ushijima said, and without questions Daichi and Sugawara went off on their own, back to the school.  Back <em>home</em>.</p><p>"Alright!  See you inside then!"</p><p>Ushijima turned to Tendou, who was already crossing his arms, raising an eyebrow at Ushijima.  "You don't wanna go in?""I do.  But you do not."</p><p>Tendou went silent, sticking his chin up and looking away, the direction of the Forbidden Forest.  "So now you don't believe me when I say something, is it?  Why?  Just because I couldn't find you last night?"</p><p>Ushijima took a deep breath, not wanting to make this an argument.  He didn't interpret situations properly, he knew this much.  But now that he was having mixed feelings about something, he couldn't leave it alone.  Tendou especially, after years of figuring him out and trying to unravel his different feelings.  There was so much to Tendou Ushijima didn't know, and probably won't know for a very long time. <br/>
Now that he felt he could understand him a little more, Ushijima wanted to reciprocate.</p><p>"I think you do not want to go home.  I feel like...I feel like you enjoyed last night.  Being free."  Tendou's eyes snapped to Ushijima, gritting his teeth, stepping forward so they were inches apart now.  If Ushijima leaned down he could kiss him.</p><p>"So what?"  Ushijima knew it.  Tendou was lying.  "I liked it, and?  I told you, I don't want to actually run away.  I was just joking-""But were you?"  Ushijima cut him off.  "Were you really joking?"</p><p>He could see Tendou tensing up, his hands clenching into a fist at his sides, squeezing his eyes shut and turning away.  He couldn't read Tendou's face - was he going to cry?  Scream?  Run?  In times like these, Ushijima wished the word 'empathy' made more sense to him.</p><p>"I think you told the truth when you said it sounded nice to run away," Ushijima pressed on, unsure what reaction he wanted.  Did he want Tendou to admit it?  To tell him he did?  He wasn't quite sure except that he wanted Tendou to tell him the truth.  Even if Ushijima didn't agree.<br/>
"You want to run away.  And I can see why, but do you not think that is an impulsive decision?  Even if we do run, there would be nowhere to go.  Running away, though it seems fine or fun in the moment, I cannot think of any other benefit.  We have school to think about and our studies.  It was not right for you to bring such an idea up."</p><p>Tendou's expression went from trembling to tense, glaring at Ushijima for a reason he couldn't say.  Ushijima thought his point got across, but it appeared it made Tendou more upset.</p><p>"I told you!  <em>You </em>are home to me, Wakatoshi, not some big forest!  I've said over and over and over again that I was just kidding.  Why don't you believe me?"</p><p>Ushijima didn't know how to answer because he didn't know either.  Why didn't he believe him?  Usually he would, usually he would take everything Tendou said seriously.  So what was the difference now?</p><p>"I do not believe-""Believe what you want then!  My god, after years of making jokes, you <em>still </em>don't get it?  I'll fucking prove it to you then.  I'll go back to Hogwarts.  By myself."  Tendou snapped, turning and stomping towards the castle.  Ushijima watched his back, feeling a little empty and a little confused.</p><p>Tendou has made jokes before and Ushijima would just waver them away when Tendou reassured him he wasn't serious.  So what was the difference now?</p><p> </p><p>They didn't talk for the rest of the day.  Ushijima wasn't sure how to approach this situation because this was the first time they've fought like this.  Tendou has never stormed off on him like that it just made him more uneasy when Tendou didn't approach him first.  <br/>
Tendou usually approached him first.</p><p>Students were coming back slowly, Ushijima noticing that there were more and more students accumulating in the Ravenclaw common room and the halls of the school.  There was no classes yet until all the students have officially, safely returned.  Ushijima wasn't sure if he should visit Tendou in the Slytherin tower and ask him to talk.  Was this something they should talk about?  Was it okay to call him?</p><p>"Ushijima-san," Kiyoko gave him a piece of parchment and a quill.  "This is from the headmaster.  He's asking all the students to sign it.  Do you mind?"  Ushijima nodded, taking the parchment and reading it.  It was just a form to make sure students were still in the school and didn't get lost again.</p><p>"Kiyoko," Ushijima called out subconsciously, not even noticing he said her name until Kiyoko looked at him, waiting for him to say something.  He opened his mouth, giving her the paper back, then closed his mouth again, not even sure what he was planning to say.  Ask for advice?  Kiyoko wasn't his friend.</p><p>"Never mind.  Thank you," he said quickly, getting out of the situation quickly when he realized it would be more awkward just waiting for someone to say something the whole time.  </p><p>Ushijima needed to find someone who knew what they were doing when they fought.  He wanted to make sure he was getting his thoughts and feelings across properly to Tendou so that they could avoid avoiding each other.</p><p>Was it always this difficult for them?  Or was it the time they spent apart?  Maybe it was Ushijima who was suddenly being difficult, who was overthinking this whole situation altogether, but he couldn't stop himself.</p><p>He really felt like Tendou was telling the truth that night about running away.</p><p>"Ushijima," Ushijima turned around, seeing Daichi down the hall, walking towards him.  He stopped, waiting for Daichi to catch up to him, a little surprised Daichi still wanted to talk to him after getting back.  He thought Daichi would go back to his house and Ushijima to his own, but he supposed Gryffindors always wanted more friends.  Ushijima didn't particularly care.</p><p>"Yes?""Oh, where's Tendou?"  Daichi asked, making Ushijima tense up a bit even though he wasn't conscious of it.  Daichi must have seen though, smiling up at him.  "Come with me!  I have something to show you."</p><p> </p><p>Ushijima didn't think flowers were all that special.  Gardens didn't hold a special meaning to him, he had no interest growing any plants that were just going to die anyway.</p><p>But then he saw a red rose, vibrating in colour in front of him.  So delicate, so fragile.  So beautiful.  Ushijima wanted to cherish it, hold it softly in his hand and not let it go.  If he were to hand it to someone else, he wasn't quite sure what would happen to it.  Would they take care of it?  Would they give it water and sunlight?  Would they talk to it everyday and keep it company?  <br/>
Ushijima wanted to take of the little red rose, so small, so pleasant, so calming.  Even though no one understood why, telling Ushijima that it's stem had thorns that would hurt him, or that roses were too difficult to take care of because they broke easily, Ushijima didn't find it in him to abandon the red rose so easily.  In fact, he was sure it was physically impossible.</p><p>"It's pretty, right?"  Daichi snapped him out of his thoughts, the two of them looking down at the garden of flowers.  "Noya showed it to me.  Apparently Asahi has a nice hobby.  Don't worry, he lets anyone come in as long as they're gentle."</p><p>Gentle.  Ushijima liked that word.</p><p>"I really owe you because of the whole Suga thing.  Now I feel like I'll burst with happiness!"  Daichi laughed, a twinge of envy shivering through Ushijima's back, but he didn't show it. </p><p>"Why did you bring me here then?"  Ushijima asked, unsure why this place out of all places.  It didn't suit him.  So many pretty things around him all at once, the colours popping out - Ushijima knew he stood out in the midst of them.</p><p>"Hm?  Well, out there in the forest you seemed like you could handle difficult situations easily and calmly.  But you must have had some stress on you, right?  Finding Tendou."  Daichi explained, picking up a white rose from the bunch, smelling it with a soft smile on his face. <br/>
"Now that you and Tendou are together, things must be settled in you, isn't that right?  Because you found each other."</p><p>Ushijima's eyes widened for just a brief moment, looking down at the bright red rose that seemed to be looking back at him.  It looked like it wanted to be taken care of, kept in Ushijima's hands wherever he went, as long is it was safe. <br/>
Such a beautiful, soft, sweet rose that was in a big dangerous world.  Ushijima could be the difference between it growing to it's fullest or wrecked into a thousand pieces.</p><p>"I think...I need to go."  Ushijima said softly, picking the red rose from the bunch, the single flower in his hand, fully bloomed to it's full confidence.  So beautiful, so bright.</p><p>"Thank you for taking me here," Ushijima bowed slightly to Daichi, passing him as he left the greenhouse.</p><p>Even if Ushijima could never understand Tendou.  Even if he could never feel what Tendou felt.  Even if Tendou wasn't being completely honest.  How could Ushijima leave him?  Even if Ushijima could never understand, he wouldn't need to.<br/>
Tendou would tell him.  Tendou would be there.</p><p>Because Tendou was his home too. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, Ushijima was the last chapter for this part!  I appreciate all the support thus far and I hope you guys will continue enjoying this work and reading!</p><p>I wanted to ask again (the more votes the better!)  -</p><p>Who is your favourite couple?  (can be based on ship or plotline!)</p><p>Thank you so much for reading and everyone stay safe and healthy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. The Assembly</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Back at Hogwarts together.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"What happened during the first Quidditch match of the school year was no doubt, a catastrophe.  We are just glad every student has made it back safely.  As a precaution, though we did hesitate before making this decision, Quidditch matches will be cancelled until the end of the midterms.  By then the stadiums will be fixed and we will have some new rules to your Quidditch matches."</p><p>There was a groan from every table, all students disappointed at the news, but the headmaster simply raised his hand, signalling for silence.  The room went quiet in a single second. </p><p>"Additionally, us and the staff have discussed, that there will be earlier curfews and boundaries around the school for the time being until we make sure that the Forbidden Forest is charmed and closed off properly.  Many students have experienced the dark, magical creatures that lurk and curse the area.  I hope you understand this temporary change and respect each curfew accordingly.  Your house heads will let you know what your curfews are and we will enforce with the prefects that you see to obey these curfews."</p><p>Headmaster Akaashi glanced at Nishinoya and Tanaka, knowing which students broke the curfews the most.  His next glance was at Kuroo and Bokuto before looking back at the students as a whole.  </p><p>"Anyway.  Again, we are happy we can see everyone's faces back at Hogwarts, safe and healthy.  The hospital wing will be open 24 hours for the next 2 weeks.  Now, excluding the following students, you may be dismissed.  If you hear your name, please stay behind."</p><p>Headmaster Akaashi pulled out a long piece of parchment, clearing his throat as he started calling names out.</p><p>"Sawamura Daichi, Kuroo Tetsuro," the headmaster groaned out Kuroo's name.  "Bokuto Koutarou," another disgruntled grunt.  "Nishinoya Yuu, Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou, Sugawara Koushi, Iwaizumi Hajime, Oikawa Tooru, Tendou Satori, Tsukishima Kei, Azumane Asahi, Yamaguchi Tadashi, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kozume Kenma and,"</p><p>The head master sighed loudly as he said the last name on the list.  "Akaashi Keiji."</p><p>All 16 of them stood from the tables, all hearing different whispers of theories as to why they were called down.</p><p>"Maybe they've been charmed!  Now they have to go through an exorcism specially done by the Ministry of Magic."<br/>
"No way!  Isn't it them who started the whole explosion during the Quiddtich game?  They're gonna get expelled."<br/>
"I bet they're all going to Azkaban now!  Did you see the damage they left on the field?"</p><p>All 16 of them went to the front, lining up in the order they were called in, all with their houses and facing the headmaster.  No matter how many lightening bolts were shot in the sky, feelings confronted, dementors encountered - no one was prepared for the consequences they were about to face now.</p><p> </p><p>"Now, now," headmaster Akaashi sighed loudly, taking out a pink potion in a clear vile from his pocket, showing it to all of them.  The Amortentia.  "If I am correct, this started because one of you made...this?"</p><p>Akaashi clenched his jaw, knowing that his dad would figure it out.  His dad walked right in front of Akaashi, raising an eyebrow at him making Akaashi tense up.  He was never gonna hear the end of this.</p><p>"Dad, I-""Headmaster."  Headmaster Akaashi corrected quickly.  "Right now it's 'headmaster'.  Don't play that card with me, Keiji."  Akaashi gulped, looking down again feeling heat rise from his neck to his cheeks.  He didn't know what he was supposed to say.</p><p>"Uncle Akaashi, I-" Kuroo got a quick smack on his head when he suddenly spoke.  "From the months September to June you as well will address me as 'headmaster', understand Tetsurou?"  Apparently if Akaashi couldn't play the 'dad' card, Kuroo couldn't play the 'uncle' card.<br/>
"Sorry.  Headmaster Akaashi," Kuroo tried again, getting a silent response but took it as an okay to keep talking.  "I think I speak for everyone when I say, this whole thing wasn't <em>really </em>our fault."</p><p>"No he doesn't."<br/>
"I wasn't thinking that."<br/>
"He doesn't speak for me."<br/>
"No."<br/>
"Kuroo-san, you don't really..."<br/>
"I wasn't going to say that."<br/>
"That's not what I was thinking."<br/>
"No, not really."<br/>
"Nope."<br/>
"Headmaster, he doesn't speak for anyone."<br/>
"Sorry, headmaster, he didn't mean that."<br/>
"No thank you, Kuroo."<br/>
"I-I think otherwise!"<br/>
"Shut up Kuroo."<br/>
"Kuroo, honey, shh."</p><p>Kuroo gave headmaster Akaashi an innocent smile and bowed.  Headmaster Akaashi just groaned, shaking his head before going back to his son, holding the bottle of Amortentia to his face.</p><p>"You made this, correct?"  Akaashi slowly nodded his head with a gulp, deciding it was better not to lie about it.  "Why did you take it?"  Akaashi's face went pink, looking up at his dad with a straight face.  Honesty was the best route.</p><p>"I wanted to know what Bokuto-san smelt."  Headmaster Akaashi turned to Bokuto, holding the vile to him now with an eyebrow raised at him.  Bokuto clearly tensed up, sweat dripping down his forehead as his boyfriend's father approached him, gulping hard.</p><p>"And?"  The headmaster cocked his head at Bokuto.  "What did you smell, Koutarou-kun?"  Bokuto sputtered out some nonsense at first, intimidated by headmaster Akaashi because not only was he the principle that could expel him, but he was his future in-law and he really needed to make sure to stay in line.  Headmaster Akaashi has already done so much for him.<br/>
"Y-Your son, sir!"  Bokuto answered with confidence, puffing his chest out.  Headmaster Akaashi nodded approvingly, not asking anymore questions.  Akaashi and Kuroo scowled quietly at Bokuto, hating how easy he got off.</p><p>Bokuto was the favourite, both Akaashi and Kuroo knew it.</p><p>"So what happened after, hm?"  Headmaster Akaashi asked, looking at all students, waiting for the first person to speak up.  Surprisingly, it was his son again.</p><p>"A ghost stole it from me," Akaashi explained.  "Peeves.  The Gryffindor ghost."  Headmaster nodded slowly, but then was looking at everyone again, waiting for the next person. </p><p>"Alright.  That doesn't explain why all of you were involved during that little duel you had during the Quidditch match," headmaster Akaashi hummed.  "So who was next?"</p><p>Sugawara raised his hand, biting his lip nervously, headmaster Akaashi heading over to him.  "Sugawara-san?""Yes sir.  Uhm, the ghost gave it to me, but I didn't know what it was so I just, uh, threw it out my window."  Sugawara said nervously with a smile.  "I didn't know it was Amortentia.""That was yours?"  Daichi said out loud, sticking his head out to look at Sugawara, then quickly went back in line when the headmaster looked over at him.</p><p>"What do you mean, Sawamura-san?""I found it outside the Slytherin tower, sir."  Daichi said, not mentioning the part where Sugawara was being harassed, figuring Sugawara wouldn't want everyone to hear it.  "I left it in the Slytherin bathroom on the first floor.""Oh, so it <em>was</em> you."  Hinata said suddenly, slapping a hand over his mouth when he spoke out.  The headmaster turned to him now.</p><p>"Hinata-san?""Yes sir!  I saw it in the bathroom sir!  But then..." Hinata sweated as he remembered Tendou taking it.  It technically wasn't Hinata's at the time, and Hinata was tempted to steal it too back then. If Aone hadn't stopped him, he would've fought Tendou for it.  "But I didn't do anything with it.""Tsukishima had it next, headmaster."  Kageyama added smugly, holding back a smirk as he saw Tsukishima tensing up just a few people down.  "Tsukishima took it, sir.  I saw him."</p><p>"No!"  Yamaguchi exclaimed, gasping at his outbreak, but he wanted to defend Tsukishima quickly.  The headmaster turned to Yamaguchi, waiting for his explanation.  "Uh, sir, I, uh, dropped it!  I dropped it and Tsuki took it for me to return it."  It missed a few parts, like how Kageyama helped him and how it was Tendou's.  He just didn't want Tsukishima in trouble.</p><p>The headmaster looked at Tsukishima next, but Tsukishima wasn't responding at first.  He bit the inside of his cheek, not sure how to explain how it was taken from him, but the silence around them was tensing up and something was telling him headmaster Akaashi was going to wait all night for Tsukishima to say something.</p><p>"I stole it," Nishinoya sighed loudly, raising his hand high, his face scrunched up as he admitted his crime.  "I stole it from Tsukishima.  I don't apologize for it though!"  Headmaster Akaashi raised his eyebrows at Nishinoya but Asahi sputtered as Nishinoya said those words.  <br/>
"Ah-!  Ah, uhm, headmaster?"  Asahi said, turning his attention to Asahi now.  "It-It's because I told him to-""No need to lie, Asahi-san."  Nishinoya said firmly, a determined look on his face.  "I stole it from Tsukishima, but I won't say sorry.  It wasn't Tsukishima's anyway.""H-Hey!"  Yamaguchi cried out, turning his head to look at Nishinoya.  "Don't blame Tsuki!"</p><p>Headmaster Akaashi snapped his fingers loudly, getting everyone's attention when he felt an argument sparking.  Everyone went silent again, looking at headmaster Akaashi.</p><p>"Enough.  Nishinoya-kun, what happened next?"  Nishinoya nodded firmly, taking a big gulp. "I'm not too sure, sir!  I threw it out the window, sir!""That was <em>you</em>?"  Kenma looked over at Nishinoya, then at the headmaster again, silencing himself once more.</p><p>"Kozume-san?""Ah, yes sir, uh, it hit my head, then..." Kenma trailed off, side glancing at Kuroo to help calm him down a little bit, but headmaster Akaashi caught it, groaning softly as he went up to Kuroo, looking at him.<br/>
"I don't even <em>want </em>to know how you got involved," the headmaster exhaled loudly at Kuroo, making Kuroo grin at him cheekily.  "I didn't even do much."  Kuroo insisted, nodding his head over to Oikawa.  "He took it next."</p><p>The headmaster walked over to Oikawa, showing Oikawa the Amortentia and waiting for his explanation.  "You seem to like this potion a lot, Oikawa-san."  Headmaster said with an amused voice, making Oikawa grit his teeth, but he didn't talk back.<br/>
"Yes, I took it," Oikawa admitted under his breath.  "But Iwa-chan tried to give it back to the owner.  I didn't know it was Akaashi's."  Headmaster Akaashi looked at Iwaizumi, waiting for him to say someting.  Iwaizumi nodded, trying not to look scared, but he didn't feel comfortable with the potential of getting expelled.  Headmaster Akaashi already bent a big rule for him in the past."<br/>
"I thought it belonged to Tendou, so I gave it to Ushijima.  I didn't know it belonged to your son either, sir."</p><p>Ushijima clenched his jaw when the headmaster looked at him, not being able to say why he couldn't give it back right away and had to hold onto it during the game.  The headmaster was waiting though, so he needed to think of an excuse quickly.<br/>
"Sir, I-""I told him to keep it."  Tendou cut Ushijima off, shocking Ushijima and even Sugawara and Daichi, all thinking that Tendou was going to announce he was a werewolf to everyong.  "I thought it would be funny to keep it since it's a powerful potion.  I apologize."  Tendou bowed 90 degrees to headmaster Akaashi, then stepped out of line to bow to Akaashi.  <br/>
"I apologize for taking your potion.  It has caused all of us a great trouble."  Ushijima, Sugawara and Daichi looked at him, wanting to say something but they couldn't do so easily.</p><p>Headmaster Akaashi sighed loudly, putting the Amortentia back in his pocket, taking a few steps back to look at all 16 of them, taking in everyone's face right now.</p><p>"Listen, all of you," headmaster Akaashi's voice was disappointed, making sure not to look too long at certain people.  "Amortentia is a deadly potion.  We teach and emphasize it every single year.  Because of your shenanigans, now the Minister of Magic are reevaluating the properties of Amortentia and are debating whether it should be taken out of the curriculum altogether.  Don't you think that's a little unfair?"</p><p>Everyone nodded firmly, a few 'yes sir's mumbled throughout.  "You will not go unpunished.  Each of you will face consequences according to your house heads and I won't hear any complaints.  The only reason none of you are suspended is because the staff have agreed many of you must have suffered enough in the Forbidden Forest.  So be sure to treat your professors with high respect for the rest of your years here.  Understand?"</p><p>"Yes sir!"  They all said in unison, their voices together and stronger.  "Good.  You're all dismissed."</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">Gryffindor House</span>
</p><p>"Curfew will be at 5 PM instead of 8 PM.  No Hogsmeade trips for the rest of the year.  Cleaning all the bathrooms on the first floor for the rest of the year.  50 points off of each person involved."  Daichi read the parchment from their house head, listing the punishments they will receive for the Gryffindor house members involved ; Daichi, Kuroo, Bokuto, Kageyama and Hinata.  They were there in the common room, listening to what they would be facing for the rest of the year.  Everyone was pretty bummed out about it, but no one complained too much, knowing it was deserved.</p><p>"It's alright guys.  It's not like this is forever," Daichi tried to cheer them up, seeing everyone down, but it might not be because of the punishment necessarily.  Sure, Daichi was upset about not being able to see Sugawara as often too, but they also blew up the Quidditch stadium, so what could he say?</p><p>"I miss Asahi-san..." Nishinoya moaned softly, hitting his head against the table he was sitting at, Kuroo coming over and ruffling his hair to hopefully comfort him.  "He probably misses you too, Noya, don't worry." </p><p>Kuroo sat next to him, Bokuto joining them as well, giving Nishinoya some chocolate then Kuroo as well.  "I heard you defelcted a dementor."  Kuroo said, getting everyone's attention, Kageyama and Hinata getting up from the couch and running up to Nishinoya, gaping at him.  "You did?!"  They asked together in awe, interested in such a story, but Nishinoya just nodded sadly.</p><p>"Yeah.""What was your patronus?"  They asked together again, Kageyama and Hinata sitting together at the table with them now too.  "Just a lion...""Cool!"  Hinata gasped, getting excited about hearing about a patronus, thinking that a complicated spell like <em>expecto patronum </em>was so amazing to perfect.  But Nishinoya still looked dejected. </p><p>"Hinata saw a dragon, didn't you Hinata?"  Kuroo tried to change the topic, Hinata nodding excitedly, now getting everyone's attention instead of Nishinoya.  "I did!  And a werewolf too.  It was scary, but I bet I can take it next time I see one.""Boke," Kageyama hit his head, making Hinata whine, hitting him back.  "What was that for?""Don't interact with those kind of creatures so easily!  You might actually die.""Aww, Kageyama-<em>kun</em>, are you worried about me?""Boke!"</p><p>Bokuto looked from Hinata and Kageyama bickering to Daichi, who kept checking the time.  It was way past curfew, so he was wondering what he was keeping time of, but he didn't ask.<br/>
"Bokuto-san," Nishinoya said softly, looking up at Bokuto.  "How did I get in the hospital?  Did you carry me?"</p><p>Bokuto was quiet for a moment, debating whether or not to break the news to Nishinoya that it was a Slytherin who brought him back.  He looked pretty depressed, and Bokuto could understand that feeling.  He missed Akaashi so much.</p><p>"Yeah, I did," Bokuto smiled down at him, slapping his back.  "So treat me well for the rest of the year, alright?""Alright.  Thank you, Bokuto-san.   I'll treat you and Akaashi well."  Nishinoya banged his head on the table again, Kuroo and Bokuto trying to comfort him by rubbing his back and ruffling his hair.</p><p>"Daichi-san?"  Kuroo noticed too that Daichi kept looking at the time, calling him out on it.  "What?  You're gonna sneak out?"  Daichi's eyes widened, shaking his head quickly, laughing softly.</p><p>"No, no.  Don't worry.  It's just, I'm wondering what everyone else's punishment is..."</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">Slytherin House</span>
</p><p>"Curfew begins right after class, only exception is leaving for dinner.  No field trips for the rest of the year.  Help clean, fix and maintain the Quidditch stadium for the rest of the year.  30 points off of each person involved."  Iwaizumi read out to them, Oikawa, Tendou, Sugawara and Tsukishima all sitting on the couch, listening to their punishment.  It sucked that their curfew was literally limiting them to only being able to go out for eating and classes, but they didn't complain.  It wasn't worth it right now, but maybe later in the year someone would say something.</p><p>"This blows." Oikawa groaned, reaching out for Iwaizumi to come and sit on the couch with him, and surprisingly Iwaizumi didn't hit or push him, instead just sitting with him quietly.</p><p>"Yeah, well, it's better than getting expelled," Tsukishima pointed out quietly.  This might be the first time Tsukishima was involved with the 5th years, but he supposed that since they would be fixing the Quidditch stadium together then they should at least know what his voice sounded like.</p><p>"My parents are gonna kill me," Tendou groaned, hiding his face in his hands, Sugawara patting his back which no one questioned.  Ever since they came back, Tendou has been oddly nice to Sugawara, but no one wanted to deal with their weirdness right now.  Everyone was pretty sure everyone changed being stuck in the Forbidden Forest for more than a whole night.</p><p>"Headmaster Akaashi said he would be sending letters to our parents, right?"  Iwaizumi sighed, all of them looking down.  "Yeah.  I'm dead this summer."</p><p>Iwaizumi hasn't been able to properly look at Oikawa yet, but Oikawa wasn't any different for the past few days, clinging to Iwaizumi like before.  He was relieved, but he knew he needed to say something soon, so instead he let Oikawa cling onto him, indulging in the affection.  He wasn't sure if Oikawa could sense the change, but he didn't say anything if he did.</p><p>"You think we'll be able to at least be able to play Quidditch once the stadium opens?"  Sugawara asked with a soft voice, no one answering for a while because no one knew the answer either.</p><p>"I just want to live long enough for another school year," Oikawa said, even his voice pretty dejected and defeated, the five of them staring in the fire place.  They were surprised no one has suggested to throw the punishment list into the fire yet.</p><p>"You think we can sneak out?"  Tendou looked at all of them, seeing how they felt about the suggestion.  Sugawara shifted, considering it but Tsukishima was already nodding, pushing his glasses up.</p><p>"Sounds good."</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">Hufflepuff House</span>
</p><p>"Curfew at 6 PM instead of 8 PM.  Helping the teachers with grades and classes after school hours.  No postage for a month.  100 points off of each person involved." Asahi read out, the two of them in Yamaguchi's room as they went over the punishments.  Yamaguchi was sulking and Asahi joined a few seconds after putting the list away.</p><p>"I hope Tsuki is okay..." Yamaguchi mumbled under his breath, sighing loudly before flopping on his bed.  "I hope his punishment isn't too much.  He was just trying to protect me."</p><p>Asahi could understand his feelings, since Nishinoya was trying to protect him too, but ended up getting in trouble as well.  Nishinoya did also steal the potion, but that was also with good intentions, he supposed.</p><p>"Maybe we should do a surprise for them, yeah Yamaguchi-kun?"  Asahi suggested, trying to get Yamaguchi to cheer up again and maybe get his mind off of the punishments and more on getting Tsukishima excited.  Asahi would also be able to do something for Nishinoya too.</p><p>"Surprise?  Like what?"  Yamaguchi asked, lifting his head up.  Asahi hummed thinking then snapped, thinking of an idea, clapping a bit.  "Let's make them chocolate boxes, maybe?  And we can make them into some nice shapes.  Noya-kun would like hearts, for example.  Come, I can show you how to do it without magic."  Asahi said, pulling Yamaguchi up, smiling when he saw Yamaguchi's face brighten up as well.</p><p>"Maybe Tsuki will like...music notes?  Can we do that?"  Yamaguchi asked, Asahi nodding, though to him Tsukishima didn't seem like the type to like lame things like this so easy.  Hopefully if Yamaguchi gives it to him though, he would accept it so Yamaguchi wouldn't be too sad again.</p><p>"I bet we can.""And do you think we can make it different flavours?  Maybe Tsuki would like chocolate strawberries."  Yamaguchi seemed more excited as they walked down the stairs, Asahi going into the cupboards of the Hufflepuff common room, trying to find some chocolates that all Hufflepuff shared between the students.  He got out different bar flavours, handing them to Yamaguchi.</p><p>"I think we can," Asahi said with a nod.  "Do you want to go to my garden tomorrow so you can get a flower for Tsuki?"  Yamaguchi's face lit up, nodding his head enthusiastically, unable to wait to give Tsukishima a gift now.  The first gift he would give as his boyfriend.</p><p>"Thank you, Asahi-san!  I appreciate this."  Asahi giggled, nodding his head before patting Yamaguchi's head and leading him to the fireplace, explaining what they were going to do.</p><p>"First we have to melt them, okay?  You can use the wrapping paper to help you mold the chocolates.  At home I actually have molds that were made to make chocolates different shapes.  Muggles make weird things, don't you think?"</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">Ravenclaw House</span>
</p><p>"Curfew at 7 PM instead of 8 PM.  Write a 10 page essay as to why Amortentia is deadly and dangerous.  Suspended from the library for the rest of the year.  45 points off for each person invovled."  Ushijima read to them, sighing softly.  "How are we supposed to do an essay without being able to go to the library."</p><p>Kenma and Akaashi were sitting next to each other on the floor as Ushijima put the parchment to the side, the three of them awkwardly looking at each other silently.  It was obvious that no one wanted to talk about what happened, but no one felt like going to bed right now either.</p><p>"Sorry, Akaashi," Ushijima said suddenly, Akaashi looking up at Ushijima.  "I should have returned the potion to you right away.  I apologize."  He said with a bow, but Akaashi shook his head.</p><p>"No, no, it's fine, Ushijima-san.  Trust me, I shouldn't have taken that stupid potion with me anyway.  It's equally my fault.  I'm sorry I got you guys involved too."</p><p>Everyone was quiet again, different thoughts racing through their head.  Akaashi's main one was why Bokuto said he smelt Akaashi from the potion.  He saw Bokuto smell it and he heard Bokuto say he didn't smell smell anything.  Did Bokuto lie?  Or did he smell it again and actually smell Akaashi?  He wasn't sure if he was happy or worried now and he really wanted to ask Bokuto now.  Too bad they were all on temporary house arrest.</p><p>Kenma now didn't know how him and Kuroo were going to have sex with all of these new rules.  Him and Kuroo wouldn't be able to have a moment alone together now, and this dumb curfew was certainly going to be a huge cockblock.  Without even thinking he groaned, his forehead hitting his arm as he thought about not being able to touch Kuroo for a while.  Maybe he should wait for Tetsurou to comfort him.</p><p>Ushijima was worried.  He hasn't been able to apologize to Tendou properly, but he couldn't be that mad if he defended Ushijima, right?  It was on his mind the whole time now, the rose he picked from Asahi's garden still in his room, living in a skinny vase filled with water so when he gave it to Tendou it would still be in full bloom.</p><p>"Should we start the essay now, then?"  Akaashi suggested to them, all of them breaking out of their thoughts, glancing at each other before nodding.  "But we're not allowed in the library.""I have books."  Ushijima told Kenma, the three of them standing up and making their way to the desks nearby in the common room, Ushijima getting them some sheets of parchment and quills with ink.</p><p>"I have books too," Akaashi said, sitting down and putting the parchment in front of him, holding the quill.  They all sat down, looking at the empty parchments, each of them about to write something but hesitating.</p><p><em>Dear Tendou... </em>Ushijima wrote.<br/>
<em>Kuroo... </em>Kenma printed neatly at the top.<br/>
<em>Hello, Bokuto-san... </em>Akaashi added a heart beside his name.  </p><p>They all started writing their own thing.</p><p> </p><p>So all of them adjusted accordingly to their punishments and consequences, getting used to the new routine, the new curfews, the new rules.  They would have to adapt to this for the rest of the school year, unfortunately.</p><p>But of course, when you break the rules once, you're bound to break them again.<br/>
 </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Confrontation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Really, Daichi-kun, you don't have to do this, you know?  I'll be fine."<br/>
"No.  We need to do this.  And if you won't do it, then I will."</p><p>Sugawara's curfew technically started since classes just ended, and since they haven't been able to spend more time together by themselves, Daichi has been visiting the Slytherin tower much more, indulging in the few minutes of sloppy making out, tired cuddles and heartfelt conversations.<br/>
Sugawara was just glad he messed with the timetables at the beginning of the year so him and Daichi were in every class together.  Maybe his best work yet.</p><p>"But it's not necessary.  I don't really care."<br/>
"I do."</p><p>Sugawara sighed as he watched Daichi sit on the couch of the Slytherin common room, sitting beside him and leaning into his body, waiting for Daichi to wrap an arm around him but Daichi was too busy crossing his arms and staring into the fire intensely.  No other Slytherin suffered the consequences the rest of them did, so it would definitely take some time for the rest of the Slytherins to fill the common room.  Daichi still had a curfew too though, so he couldn't stay forever.</p><p>"I have you, don't I?"  Sugawara was trying to make Daichi smile again, but still, he looked moody.  It was ticking Sugawara off a bit, but he allowed Daichi today since there must have been a lot on his mind.  <br/>
"Daichi-kun?  Don't look so serious.  It doesn't suit you."</p><p>Daichi finally looked down at Sugawara, his intense stare turning into a pout before looking into the fire again.  He couldn't be upset when he looked at Sugawara, especially when Sugawara looked cute, cuddling beside him.  That's why Daichi couldn't cuddle him back right now - he had to stay serious and intense.</p><p>"Daichi-kun?"  Sugawara sang out, leaning up to kiss Daichi's neck.  After 2 years of an unsuccessful confessions, he wasn't missing an opportunity any longer now that him and Daichi were together.</p><p>"Daichi-kun, pay attention to me.  No one's here yet."  Sugawara tried again, kissing from his neck to his jaw, the soft pecking turning a little more sloppy, licking his jawline all the way up, then nipped at his ear.  He could feel Daichi tensing up, so he started rubbing his inner thigh, smirking to himself.</p><p>Weak?  Was Sugawara the weak one here?</p><p>"Daichi-kun?  You're really not gonna do anything?"  Sugawara said teasingly, Daichi's breath hitching in a way that let Sugawara know he won.  Daichi finally turned, wrapping his arms around Sugawara's waist, pulling him on his lap.  Sugawara giggled, cupping Daichi's face and pulling him in for a kiss, forcing his mouth open to get more intimate.  Daichi's hands went from Sugawara's waist to the small of his back, going down slowly.</p><p>"Daichi-kun!  In the common room?"  Sugawara gasped mockingly, teasing Daichi even more.  It worked because Daichi looked all flustered, pulling away a little bit, his cheeks pink with embarrassment.</p><p>"Be-Because Suga wanted to-""Don't blame me," Sugawara hummed, kissing Daichi again, pushing his tongue in Daichi's mouth, not letting him protest any longer.  "This is your fault."</p><p>Daichi couldn't talk with a tongue shoved in his mouth.  He didn't want to complain though, with how good Sugawara was at kissing.  It made Daichi worry a bit though, wondering if Sugawara practised with someone before.</p><p>"Maybe if you accepted my confession earlier, I wouldn't be like this."</p><p>Daichi didn't have a chance to ask what Sugawara was saying.  He's accepted Sugawara's confession long ago, didn't he?  He's said it multiple times.  Possibly Sugawara really wanted to kiss like this.<br/>
Daichi couldn't blame him though.  Sugawara on his lap like this, feeling their tongues together like this, his hands in his hair, tugging on it desperately.  Daichi wished they've done this much sooner.</p><p> </p><p>"I would like you to please apologize to Sugawara.  What you've done to him was immature and cruel.  Not only do I want you to stop, but I want you to apologize for all the hurt and trauma you've put him through these past 5 years."</p><p>Sugawara didn't care.  The people that tormented him and bullied him throughout these years were just stupid bums who needed to get lives.  Daichi seemed more bothered than him, so he let him confront his bullies, but in the end Sugawara didn't need to tell them to stop.</p><p>Sugawara could probably take them in a fight with a wand.  He just never thought it was necessary.</p><p>"Suga...wara?"  The bullies - there were 5 of them right now, even though if Daichi wanted to do this properly he would've addressed pretty much the whole Slytherin house - were looking from Sugawara to Daichi, trying to figure out who they were really talking to.</p><p>Sugawara was behind Daichi, glaring hard at every single one of them.  There was basically lightening striking each and every one of them, killing them with his eyes.  He was fine with being pushed down a few stairs, but if they were to mess with Daichi it would be very different.</p><p>"Apologize?"  Another one said, making a weird face that made Daichi clench his fists.  Sugawara couldn't lie, it was pretty cute watching him getting all worked up like this.</p><p>"Yes!  Apologize to him sincerely!"  Daichi said with a firm voice and a stern face, not letting the fact there are 5 of them intimidate him.  He would stand up for Sugawara no matter what (even if it was a group of Slytherins).</p><p>"You think we're gonna apologize to a mudblo-" They stopped when they saw Sugawara behind Daichi, his stare intensifying at them.  It was a look no one has seen before, his lips tightened, eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed down at at them.  His whole face was twitching.</p><p>"<em>I'll fucking kill you</em>," Sugawara mouthed to them making all of them freeze in a bit of shock and minute fear.  They kept switching their focus from Daichi to Sugawara, unsure now what to say.</p><p>Daichi must've noticed, turning around to look at Sugawara to see what his face was like, watching Daichi confronting his bullies.  Sugawara was smiling innocently at Daichi, giving him a nod of encouragement and approval, telling him he could keep talking and he was okay.  Daichi nodded back before looking back at the bully Slytherins who were all gaping at Sugawara, shocked and eyes wide.</p><p>"Apologize-""We apologize!"  They all exclaimed, standing up straight before bowing 90 degrees to Sugawara altogether making Daichi shocked, but Sugawara smirk down at them.  He sort of wanted to take advantage of this moment and maybe make them suffer a bit, but Daichi was right there and he didn't want him to see his cruel side just yet.</p><p>"It's fine.  Just don't treat anyone else like this, okay?"  They all nodded their heads, nodding as they shook, not expecting Sugawara to be that courageous and dangerous, but it seemed now he had a reason to let a side like this out. </p><p>Sugawara was actually terrifying.  It seemed Daichi was the one who tamed him.</p><p>"Thank you for apologizing," Daichi said to them, offering them a small smile, unsure why the sudden change of heart but he was glad that Sugawara accepted the apology too.  Sugawara was so sweet, wasn't he?  He was so nice, considerate of other people.  Daichi wondered how he could forgive so easily, but decided that that was just the type of person.</p><p>"Come on, Daichi," Sugawara said, his smile not changing, still in that uplifting, bright position, pulling on his arm and pushing him to the direction of the dorms, knowing Daichi's curfew ended in another 30 minutes (but he would convince Daichi otherwise).  "Let's go to my room, yeah?  Tendou, Iwaizumi and Oikawa are gone, I promise."</p><p>Daichi nodded, going to the stairs to the dormitories, Sugawara giving his former bullies the middle finger behind his back as he followed.</p><p> </p><p>"Wa-Wait, Suga-" Sugawara giggled as he kissed down Daichi's neck.  Daichi was under Sugawara right now on his bed, Sugawara's knees straddled around Daichi's waist, his hands rubbing up and down Daichi's chest.  He couldn't help it when they had the dorm to themselves right now. </p><p>"Suga, my-my curfew-" Sugawara cut him off with a kiss, not wanting to listen to that right now.  Slytherin's weren't going to come in, Oikawa, Iwaizumi and Tendou already breaking the rules by sneaking out past their curfews.  He didn't know how long it would be until a teacher caught them, so he wanted to take advantage of these moments.  Why did Daichi have to care so much about the rules?</p><p>"Suga, wait-""You don't like it?"  Sugawara pouted, making Daichi shut up right away.  How was he supposed to refuse him now?</p><p>"I do like it..." Daichi mumbled, tilting his head up to let Sugawara kiss his neck more, biting his lip as he got more courageous by nipping at his skin before fully sucking on his neck now, lightly biting.  Daichi gasped, gripping Sugawara's hip, this being the first time he's felt such a sensation.</p><p>"Ha-Have you done this before?"  Daichi couldn't help but asking as Sugawara pulled away, smiling down at Daichi's neck.  He caressed the spot he just bit down on for some reason, waiting for an answer from Sugawara.</p><p>"What if I did?  What would you do?"  Seeing Daichi's panicked expression, going through stages of shock to anger to disappointed to sulking.  It was thrilling, watching Daichi's mind only thinking of Sugawara, probably weirdly turned on thinking of him doing perverted things, but not liking the thought of him doing them with someone else.  It was sadistic, yes, but Daichi has accepted that side too - even if he didn't know it yet.</p><p>"I already said don't blame me," Sugawara kissed his forehead, wrapping his arms around Daichi for a hug.  "You accepted my confession too late.  It's your fault."</p><p>Daichi hugged him back, forgetting about the minutes before when things were getting heated and was now addressing their misunderstanding because him and Sugawara were obviously not lining up in this aspect.</p><p>"You keep saying that, but I don't understand," Daichi said, looking at Sugawara, a hand going to his hair to stroke him gently.  "I've liked you for so long.  I told you so many times."</p><p>Sugawara looked up, his eyes wide and confused.  "No."  He said immediately.  "You were saying it as a friend.  You've looked at me as a friend this whole time," he insisted, but Daichi as well wasn't backing down.</p><p>"No," he responded calmly.  "I said 'I like you' and every time I meant it as more than a friend," Daichi told him, watching as Sugawara's face got more confused.  "But every time you looked so disappointed so I didn't say anything more.  I was waiting for you to understand me."</p><p>There was a silence between them, Sugawara processing Daichi's words.  After maybe a minute Sugawara hit the top of Daichi's head hard, surprising Daichi and groaning in pain.</p><p>"Ow!  What was that for?""For not being more clear!  Do you know how long I've suffered because of you?  I've been watching you as a friend all these years, waiting for you to see me like a lover.  You should've said it better!"  Daichi sputtered, shrugging helplessly.</p><p>"How else was I supposed to make it more clear?  I said 'I like you too' so many times."</p><p>Sugawara groaned, shaking his head before leaning up to kiss Daichi, not being able to take in what he just said.  He wouldn't admit that this was part Sugawara's fault because he was too insecure to accept Daichi's feelings so easily.  It would make him look stupid.</p><p>"Say it again," Sugawara demanded, Daichi raising an eyebrow at him.  "Say what again?""Say you like me."  Daichi couldn't help but chuckle, nosing into Sugawara's hair and kissing the top of his head.</p><p>"I<em> love</em> you, Suga.  Please believe me from now on."</p><p> </p><p>"Is that...a <em>hickey</em>?"  Kuroo laughed as Daichi came back to the Gryffindor tower, oblivious to time and confused by the question.  Bokuto joined behind Kuroo, laughing too as he looked at Daichi's neck.  </p><p>"It is!"  Bokuto said excitedly, laughing as well, patting Daichi's back proudly.  "Not bad, Dai-chan.  You sure are growing up," Bokuto pretended to cry before him and Kuroo burst out laughing.  "Wow.  It's so dark too!  Sugawara must really hate sharing."</p><p>Daichi didn't know what they were talking about, confusedly being pushed to a mirror by Kuroo.  When he looked in the mirror he gasped, staring at his neck and the very bright mark on it, right where Sugawara sucked.  A hickey?  Did it feel that good getting bruised like this?</p><p>"It's a muggle thing," Bokuto explained as they saw Daichi's reaction to it and how he was unsure how to feel.  "Maybe wizard kids do it too, I'm not sure.  But it's very <em>sensual </em>too, don't you think?"  They were both smirking at Daichi who couldn't keep his eyes off of his hickey, the reminder of how him and Sugawara were on the bed together not too long ago in a very heated make out session.  It made him turn pink.</p><p>"What does it...do?"  Daichi asked, looking back at Kuroo and Bokuto who were staring smugly at each other then at Daichi.  "It's not what it does, Daichi," Kuroo started off, Bokuto in his face now too.  "It's about what it represents."</p><p>Both Kuroo and Bokuto were back to back now, over dramatically sighing, tilting their heads back on each other's shoulders.  "Love?""Or lust?"  They held in their laughs as Daichi watched them seriously, taking in the scene, like he was actually going to learn something this.</p><p>"It's a mark-"<br/>
"Of possessiveness-"<br/>
"Means you're taken-"<br/>
"And not to be shared."</p><p>They both pointed to Daichi together, Daichi's eyes wide as he watched them, getting a little bit impatient at the explanation.  It was just a mark of being taken?  It felt so good though, why didn't people do it more often?</p><p>"Sugawara has properly marked you!"<br/>
"So you have to mark him too!"</p><p>This time, Daichi actually flinched back at the thought.  He would have to do something like this to Sugawara as well?  He didn't know how to, but he would love to learn if it meant he could make Sugawara feel as good as Sugawara made him feel earlier.  Maybe he could leave hickies on different parts of Sugawara's body as well and make everywhere feel good to him.</p><p>"Eh, what're you thinking about now, Daichi?"  Kuroo asked teasingly, both him and Bokuto leaning into Daichi again, chuckling to themselves as they watched Daichi's face go from pink to red.</p><p>"Are you getting a dirty mind now, Daichi?  Ah, to be a horny teenager.""You are the definition of a horny teenager," Bokuto retorted, hitting Kuroo on the back of his head.  "Daichi probably makes love instead of fuck."  They both laughed with each other, holding their stomachs as they made their jokes, but Daichi was just looking between the two of them, dumbfounded by their words and with their.....experience?</p><p>"I mean," Daichi shrugged, getting both their attentions.  "Is there a difference?"</p><p> </p><p>"Do they sell condoms at Hogsmeade?"<br/>
"Why do you need condoms?  You're not getting pregnant."</p><p>Sugawara sighed as he flipped through a magazine - one that one of the halfblood Slytherins sneaked in at the beginning of the year - trying to 'find tips on how to seduce your lover for your first time'.  Because now that knew Daichi loved him, he needed to do something quickly or else his heart and dick were about to explode.</p><p>"It's better safe than sorry," Sugawara told Tendou groaning softly as he rolled from his stomach to his back, holding the magazine up.  "Or do you think Daichi would be turned off by it?  He won't know how to use it."</p><p>Tendou just came back from sneaking out, probably with Ushijima or something but apparently Tendou was having problems of his own. Sugawara would listen to him another time, but right now he was thinking hard about his own.  Tendou seemed interested in Sugawara's dilemma anyway.</p><p>"Muggles are weird," Tendou grumbled, going to Sugawara's bed and laying down on next to him.  "You wanna fuck, then fuck.  What's the point of condoms?""Protection.  What if one of us has STDs?  There's no health centers in the magical world to check for those things, are there?  Ah," Sugawara didn't give Tendou enough time to tell him.  "Doesn't matter.  The point is is that I have to figure this out soon or else Daichi might not make a move on me again."</p><p>Innocent Daichi.  He seemed like he was brave and initiative and the dominant one, but Sugawara had a very odd feeling that Daichi would also be the type to ask before every make out session.  Sugawara didn't mind it though - it made teasing him more fun.</p><p>"'Be a tease'. Check.  'Take charge for the night'.  Check.  'Offer them to take charge'.  Maybe on a honeymoon, but there's no way he's ready for that now," Sugawara sighed, turning the page again.  "What do you think Tendou?"  Sugawara looked over at Tendou who was peering over at the magazine as well, holding his hand out so Sugawara could give him the magazine.  Sugawara handed it over to him.</p><p>"'Talk dirty'?  I like that one.  D'ya think Daichi would understand what you're saying though?"  Tendou chuckled, reading down as Sugawara hummed thinking about.  "How do you talk dirty though?"  Sugawara asked, wondering if Tendou had experience with this with Ushijima.  "Does Ushijima like when you talk dirty?"  Tendou puffed his cheeks out, thinking about it.</p><p>"I mean, he doesn't hate it.  To be honest, I'm not sure. I've never tried during sex," Tendou answered making Sugawara sigh.  It seemed they were on the same page in terms of experience.</p><p>"Is there a spell that helps with sex?"  Sugawara asked curiously, making Tendou pull a face.  "A spell?""Yeah.  Maybe to make it better?""I think you should try it without magic first.  If you can't do it without magic then with magic will just make it complicated."</p><p>Sugawara sighed louder, taking the magazine back.  "Sex is complicated," he grumbled, wishing it wouldn't take too much thought to figure out what he was going to do.  And the fact that he wasn't sure if Daichi knew what was going on either.  One of them had to take the lead.</p><p>"You should talk to Daichi about this too, you know?"  Tendou told him, like he was stating facts.  Sugawara knew he was right, but he felt like talking about it would also ruin the mood.</p><p>Then again, what did Sugawara know about a mood?</p><p>"What about you and Ushijima?"  Sugawara asked, not wanting the conversation to be completely about him and Daichi.  "How are you guys?"  Tendou was smiling to himself, a little too hard, shaking his head as he covered his ace with the a pillow and giggled madly.</p><p>"Waka-chan...is so cute when he's worried."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello lovely readers!  First of all, thank you so much for reading up till now!  I hope you'll like the last 10 chapters and enjoy some fluff reunions (maybe some angsty confessions, who knows!).<br/>I wanted to do some bonus chapters at the end which is why I asked everyone for their favourite ships so I know who to focus on and hope to make a little subplot out of that!  However-</p><p>Justagaybean (amazing person by they way, I &lt;3) was one step ahead of me and has guessed who said what in the summary!  I wanted to ask you guys if you had any guesses as well, and if you were interested I would put the 'answers' (which is just who I was thinking would say that when I was making the summary, obviously there is no right or wrong when it's fiction) in one of the last Author's Notes!  Justagaybean (again, amazing person!) has already guessed, and it would be fun to hear what other people would think too! </p><p>Since this has came up, an idea came to me that maybe the bonus chapter shouldn't be on the favourite ship, but on a favourite line from the summary...?  If you were curious of how that line came up, the story behind it etc. etc. let me know and maybe that's where I'll put my bonus chapters to!  </p><p>Again, feedback/suggestions are welcome for this!!</p><p>Thank you again so much for reading &lt;3 &lt;3 I hope my writing will keep up to your expectations!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Scents</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Your curfew is coming up.  Should we start heading back now?"<br/>"Yeah, I guess..."</p><p>Bokuto hated the curfew, unable to stay outside late enough to see the stars which bummed him out more than it should have.  He wanted to hear Akaashi talking about the constellations again and tell him the stories in the sky.  Before he would just listen because he loved the sound of Akaashi's voice, but now he actually wanted to properly listen to them and remember what he said.  <br/>Especially when the characters fall in love.  Wouldn't it be interesting to hear other stories besides their own?</p><p>"Sorry.  My dad's really keeping an eye on the Gryffindors and Slytherins.  Not fair, right?"  Bokuto quickly shook his head, a little scared headmaster Akaashi had ears everywhere, but also because he didn't think of the headmaster's punishment as unfair.  Bokuto <em>did </em>blow up the school.</p><p>"No, no.  As long as Akaashi's fine, I'm fine too."  Bokuto smiled at him, holding Akaashi's hand as they walked back into the school, first heading to the Ravenclaw tower so Bokuto could drop him off.  Akaashi looked a little more tensed up and Bokuto could take a good guess why.</p><p>"What're you thinking about?" </p><p>Akaashi still hasn't confronted the problem of the Amortentia, thinking it would be better to just ignore it for now and never think about the potion ever again.  But he couldn't help it - it's been on his mind every day so far.  He wanted to know which was the truth and what Bokuto loved the most.  It did make him happy Bokuto said him in front of his dad, but he didn't want it to be a lie.</p><p>"Will you come to dinner with me on Friday?"  Akaashi asked, sort of dodging the question as they got closer to the Ravenclaw tower.  "Dinner?"  Bokuto raised an eyebrow at him, cocking his head.  "Like, in the dining hall?""No, with my dad."</p><p>Bokuto froze a bit, feeling nervous at the word 'my dad', especially when it came out of Akaashi's mouth.  He tried to look a less anxious though, stopping in front of the Ravenclaw entrance, still holding Akaashi's hand. They looked at each other, Akaashi stepping closer to him.</p><p>"With your dad?  Is there an occasion?"  Bokuto asked, then quickly followed up.  "Not that I would hate it!  Of course I want to eat dinner with the headmaster!  I mean, uh, the curfew and stuff, that would be bending the rules, but if the headmaster says it's okay then I don't mind.  Uh, but only if he wants me there, but of course I want to be with Akaashi, you know that-"  Akaashi shut him up with a kiss, smiling softly at him.</p><p>"Don't worry," Akaashi reached up to stroke Bokuto's hair.  "It's just a dinner.  He likes you, you know?  No need to be so worked up, he'll allow it for a night."  Whenever Akaashi calmed Bokuto down, it also made him excited, getting petted like this and pampered with affection.  Bokuto couldn't help but lean into his touch, smiling slowly at the sweet contact.</p><p>"Alright," Bokuto agreed quietly, closing his eyes as he indulged in the tenderness.  "But why?  Is there a reason for a sudden dinner?"  Akaashi pulled away, petting his hair and kissing his lips one last time before heading to the door, letting go of Bokuto.  He looked back one last time before he got to the door, nodding slowly.</p><p>"Yes.  My mom is coming to visit." </p><p> </p><p>Bokuto has met Akaashi's mom once when he asked his parents for their blessing so he could date Akaashi.  If Akaashi's dad was scary, Akaashi's mom was fucking terrifying.</p><p>"Maybe you should pretend to die," Kuroo suggested, watching as Bokuto was trying to choose an outfit for the dinner.  Tie or no tie?  Button up or sweater?  Or both?  Or maybe he should just wear his uniform again so he'd look educated.  This was so fucking stressful but he wanted to make a good second impression.  Akaashi's family was important.</p><p>"You know, headmaster Akaashi loves you, right?"  Kuroo spat out, like he was disgusted about the fact.  "You always get away with everything.  My grades are so much better than yours though!""It's not my fault every time we visit Akaashi over the summer you bring your disgusting self with us."  That earned Bokuto a hard smack on the back, taking Bokuto by surprise.</p><p>"Ow!  Cool it, fucking pussy."<br/>"Kiss ass."<br/>"Dickhead!"<br/>"Bitch fucking prick."<br/>"You're so annoying.  Now help me choose, navy or black blazer?  Should I even wear a blazer?"  Bokuto sighed, holding up his outfit choices, showing them to Kuroo, letting him see.  Kuroo tilted his head, humming as he thought.</p><p>"Don't you have a dress shirt?  Just wear that."<br/>"It's white!  If I get a stain on that I might as well throw myself out the window."</p><p>Bokuto groaned loudly, throwing the stupid blazers on the ground and choosing one of his button up shirts and throwing a sweater on top, pulling the collars out and the cuffs of the button up out.  He looked in the mirror, choosing a grey button up and a blue sweater to represent Ravenclaw - the house all Akaashi members were in in their Hogwarts years.</p><p>"There.  Is that alright?"  Bokuto asked desperately, showing Kuroo his outfit, his panic only increasing when Kuroo didn't look impressed.  He was running out of time with choosing an outfit, he also had to study on Akaashi's mom's most recent books which Kuroo was doing for him right now.</p><p>"'In 1456 Ancient Greece, the Ministry of Magic expanded their governing to international waters, making education for young wizards and witches accessible to everyone.  It has been proven necessary for multiple hunts of magicfolk to occur in order to keep magic alive throughout the years-' do you really not know this?  We learned this in our 2nd year."  Kuroo groaned, shutting the text book but Bokuto screamed, taking the textbook again.  "This is super necessary!  You know I'm not on the same level as the Akaashi family."</p><p>It was already enough that Bokuto had magic hunting parents, but to top it off Akaashi's family was powerful in the wizarding world.  He was worried that they wouldn't accept him, but headmaster Akaashi didn't seem to mind.<br/>Akaashi's mom though....</p><p>"Uncle Akaashi likes you though.  Quit worrying," Kuroo waved his hand at Bokuto who still looked panicked as he checked the time.  Headmaster Akaashi allowed him to pass the curfew for tonight only, as long as he didn't go roaming around after.  Bokuto could do that - he could follow some rules.</p><p>"I'm always going to worry.  Till the day I die, I'm going to worry," Bokuto insisted, taking the textbook and flipping through the pages.  "Even if they die, I'm gonna worry.  I know Akaashi's mom is gonna haunt me forever.  She's gonna tell me about how Akaashi deserves better and I don't have a chance."  An over exaggeration, but Bokuto couldn't help it.</p><p>Bokuto already had so many reasons to get expelled.  How was he supposed to date a headmaster's son?</p><p> </p><p>"So, Bokuto-kun," Akaashi's mom started saying, all four of them sitting around a table in headmaster Akaashi's dining room in Hogwarts.  Bokuto was tensed up, a bit sweaty but he was holding his breath so he wouldn't emit fear.</p><p>"How are your parents?""Mom," Akaashi sighed softly, but Bokuto puffed his chest out proudly, not wanting to look weak.</p><p>"They-They're good!  I visited them during the summer and they've been safe.  They have been unsuccessful finding wizards and witches and I hope they continue to be unsuccessful.  Not-Not that I don't want them to be unsuccessful in everything!  It's just that-uh, well-""Bokuto-san," Akaashi cut him off, rubbing Bokuto's thigh.  "Calm down." </p><p>Bokuto twitched a bit under the gaze of Akaashi's mom, feeling like he could feel the heat of her hatred.  She probably didn't actually hate Bokuto, just was a little worried for her son which Bokuto could completely understand.<br/>It didn't make things less tense though.</p><p>"How are your studies then, Bokuto-kun?"  She asked next making Bokuto sweat even more.  Akaashi got good grades, sometimes 100s and never under 85 while Bokuto was average.  He didn't want to look stupid, especially when she also happened to know Kuroo was smart too.  It made him tense up even though Akaashi was under the table, rubbing his thigh to calm him down.  Nothing was helping.  This was their second meeting and Bokuto was blowing it.</p><p>"My...studies-""He passes, mom.  He studies and gets fine grades.  Isn't that enough," Akaashi snapped, taking Bokuto by surprise.  Bokuto could feel Akaashi's mom staring between them, raising her eyebrow and coughing quietly.   Headmaster Akaashi seemed unamused, but Bokuto couldn't figure out by who.  He thought a night with Akaashi's paretns would be less stressful than this, but it felt like after that whole Quidditch situation there was always going to be a tension between the fucking headmaster and the student who started the fight - even if Bokuto was the favourite between him, Akaashi and Kuroo.</p><p>"I see.  You think you can just...'pass' at life then, Bokuto-kun?"  Bokuto gulped hard, he was pretty sure everyone at the table could hear it.  He shook his head slowly, feeling like he was going to pass out soon.</p><p>"N-No, ma'am-""Well that's what it sounded like.  Just saying."</p><p>Bokuto felt like crying.  Akaashi felt like he was going throw something.</p><p>Akaashi's mom was less lenient on who Akaashi dated, this he knew.  But she didn't have to smash Bokuto on the ground like this.  And it wasn't even fair, this was their second meeting.  Sure, Bokuto's parents literally hunted wizards and magical creatures in their spare time, but that didn't mean she had to bring it up every time.</p><p>"Akaashi made a complicated potion in class, dear," headmaster Akaashi cleared his throat, trying to change the topic when it was obvious Bokuto was holding his breath for too long, about to turn blue.  "Amortentia.  He really liked the potion."</p><p>So Akaashi's mom still didn't know that Akaashi was sort of the reason the school blew up.  Nice.</p><p>"Oh?  And what did you smell, Keiji?"  His mom asked, Akaashi looking straight faced at her.  That's something else Bokuto noticed with the Akaashi's - everyone had the same straight face, it sort of freaked him out.</p><p>"I smelt Bokuto-san, of course," Akaashi stated indifferently, causing Akaashi's mom to raise her eyebrows and turn to Bokuto.  "And you, Bokuto-kun?  What did you smell?"  This time, Bokuto's stomach did a weird twist, unable to say anything at first though he wanted to say it proudly.  She made him so nervous with that intense stare that reminded him too much of Akaashi.</p><p>"A-Akaashi, ma'am.  I smelled your-your son," Bokuto answered quietly, a short nod coming from her like it was a test and Bokuto barely passed.  Akaashi tried holding Bokuto's hand, but he was too distracted.  Akaashi's mom still looked unimpressed with him.</p><p>"Say it with more confidence, Bokuto-kun," she exhaled loudly, giving him a straight, sarcastic smile.  "My son is worth more than a half-hearted response."</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry, Bokuto-san.  My mom was out of line."  Bokuto shook his head quickly, waving his hands in rejection of such a statement.  No, this wasn't Akaashi's parent's fault.  They were just being good parents.</p><p>"It's nothing!  She just wants to make sure her son has a good boyfriend.  I literally blew up a stadium, so I don't know if I'm keeping up, but," Bokuto chuckled nervously but before he could continue Akaashi silenced him, putting a finger over Bokuto's mouth.  <br/>"Don't say it.  Please, Bokuto-san.  Don't say it."</p><p>'But I know you're too good for me, Akaashi.'  It's something Bokuto has said before and at first Akaashi dismissed the statement, telling himself that Bokuto was being sweet.  Later on did he realize it wasn't quite like that and there were days Bokuto actually meant it.  It was nerving, and Akaashi needed to be ready every single time for it.</p><p>"Sorry-""Don't apologize either.  Especially when you didn't do anything wrong."  Akaashi pulled Bokuto down, kissing his forehead which Bokuto needed to lean down to get, but he loved it all the same.  Akaashi's sweetness when no one was looking (or paying attention, he should say).  All for him, calming his heart down yet exciting him at the same time.</p><p>"You're amazing, Bokuto-san.  An incredible boyfriend who doesn't need to prove any worth to date me.  Because I liked Bokuto-san then and I love him even more now.  So please believe me.  It hurts when you don't."</p><p>This got Bokuto to be a little more quiet, nodding his head, resting it on Akaashi's shoulder as he took a few deep breaths.  Akaashi gave him time to breath a little deeper, rubbing his back to soothe him.  It was times like this where Akaashi remembered no matter how strong, fun, loud or obnoxious Bokuto seemed he was still human.  He still had a lot he worried about, a lot that made him think a little too hard and even more things that got him depressed by the day.  Bokuto didn't have to prove he was any more than he was - because Akaashi loved it all the same.</p><p>"Thank you, Akaashi," Bokuto sighed softly, standing back up with a smile that made Akaashi want to rip his heart out and give it to Bokuto because he's basically stolen it, he might as well just surrender.</p><p>"Don't apologize for your parents.  They're just being good parents, right?  I mean, at least your parents still remember you."</p><p>Bokuto laughed when he said it, but Akaashi didn't even flinch.  The topic of Bokuto's parents has been avoided for a while now, and even though it was Akaashi's business, sometimes he felt like Bokuto wasn't being completely honest.<br/>Bokuto was still a kid too.  Bokuto missed his parents too.  </p><p>"Bokuto-san-""Sorry, Akaashi. I'm a little tired.  Is it okay if...I go now?" </p><p>Bokuto did look tired, but not because he wanted to sleep.  The date today - what was it?  An anniversary?  Maybe because of what happened in the forest?  His mom or dad's birthday?<br/>That was it.</p><p>"Bokuto-san, do you miss spending time with me?  That's it, isn't it?"  Akaashi said with a little more excitement, trying to get him to smile a little bit.  "Should I ask my dad to let us out?  We can go to Hogsmeade for a date.  Or maybe stargazing.  I can tell you the story of the Wolf Spirit again.  I know you like that one."  Bokuto smiled softly and nodded, but Akaashi couldn't read his expression anymore.  It was hazy, longing, distant.  <br/>Akaashi wanted to ask.</p><p>"That sounds great, Akaashi," Bokuto kissed Akaashi's forehead.  "But as long as Akaashi is fine then I'll be fine."</p><p>Akaashi wanted to ask, but he didn't.</p><p> </p><p>Bokuto's birthday fell on September 20.  Every year he would go visit his parents and every year without fail his parents never had another kid.  He didn't know why, he could never ask them, but they never had a kid after Bokuto and sometimes, it would make him sad.</p><p>Did they secretly know that they could produce magical children?  And now they just couldn't have another kid.</p><p>"Do you think you and Kenma will get married?"  Bokuto asked in a whisper, him and Kuroo in the Gryffindor common room together, sitting down and playing chess.  Really it was just Kuroo beating him though while Bokuto waited for the chess pieces to move on their own since it was taking him to long to give them instructions.  </p><p>"Hm?  I mean, I hope so.  But we're still young, so I don't think about those things right now," Kuroo answered, looking up at Bokuto who seemed to be thinking hard and not about his next chess move.  "Why?  You're thinking about proposing to Akaashi or something?"</p><p>Bokuto didn't respond for a moment, but shook his head slowly.  "It's not that.  It's just..." Bokuto didn't say anything but Kuroo could guess that the dinner with Akaashi's parents didn't go too well since Bokuto's been depressed ever since he's come back.  In these times Bokuto would sometimes fly to Akaashi's room and have time to de-depress himself, but now that wasn't an option.</p><p>"We are young.  So sometimes I wonder if staying serious about the relationship...does his parents believe I'm serious?"  Bokuto said out loud, voicing his thoughts out and having Kuroo listen to him, maybe expecting a little advice.  "But it's difficult because I don't even know if Akaashi is good for someone like me.  He has a lot of opportunity, you know?  A lot of status, a lot of girls that like him.  It's a little scary."</p><p>Kuroo watched as Bokuto deflated, resting his chin on the table, sighing loudly.  Bokuto didn't know how to handle these feelings on his own so easily, and usually Akaashi helped him out like earlier.  But it was a bit harder when the problem was about Akaashi.  <br/>"I can't help it.  My heart trembles when I think about the future."</p><p>There was a bit of a pause between them as Kuroo listened to Bokuto's concern, deciding not to comment too harshly or sarcastically, not wanting to accidentally offend him or push the wrong button.  <br/>"But he chose you, didn't he?  So why are you so worried?"  Bokuto didn't answer.</p><p>"Say, you smelt Akaashi when you smelt the Amortentia, didn't you?"  Kuroo tried changing the subject a bit, getting Bokuto to at least look up.  "Did you ask Akaashi what he smelled?"</p><p>Now that Kuroo brought it up, Bokuto hasn't asked him properly because he hasn't been able to, and now he was curious.  What exactly did Akaashi smell?  Just Bokuto?  He was so excited to show Bokuto that it made Bokuto think that Akaashi smelt him and wanted to make sure Bokuto smelt Akaashi too.</p><p>"No!"  Bokuto gasped, standing up in his chair, knocking some chess pieces down.  Kuroo's eyes widened, his eyes following Bokuto.  "What is it?""Akaashi."  Bokuto made a whimpering sound, leaving the table quickly when he realized.  It might be too late and maybe Akaashi forgot about it, and even though he told headmaster Akaashi otherwise he still didn't tell Akaashi properly.</p><p>"I told him I smelt nothing!"</p><p> </p><p>"Maybe I can sneak into the Gryffindor tower on Saturday night...they clean up the storage rooms then, right?  The teachers will be busy."<br/>"How will you sneak out though?"<br/>"...Akaashi, I can't be the only one spitting out ideas here."</p><p>Akaashi and Kenma were staring down at a map of the school, trying to find ways to sneak into the Gryffindor tower, a paper next to them with notes to help them.  The teachers that monitor the hallways past curfew, the times that the teachers switch shifts, the possible secret passages they could sneak into - it's barely been 2 weeks but they haven't been able to come up with anything.</p><p>"I think this is too much.  Maybe we should just meet before curfews, you know?  What's so good about meeting at midnight?"<br/>"The prohibition makes it more thrilling, don't you think so?"  Akaashi knew one of the reasons Kenma has been a bit desperate to meet Kuroo more is because Tetsurou hasn't been coming to him lately.  Kenma thinks that Tetsurou got mad for not visiting him while he was stuck in the Forbidden Forest.</p><p>Akaashi was wondering if he should tell him, but Kuroo said he would tell him eventually.</p><p>"Kenma, are you sure this is worth all this effort?  I mean, it's just a school year.  It's not too bad."  Akaashi tried to cheer him up, or at least get his attention off of sneaking out because it wasn't really worth it in his opinion.  If they got caught again then there would be even more issues and punishments and Kuroo and Bokuto would get in trouble too - too complicated.</p><p>"How was the dinner with your parents?"  Kenma asked, finally putting the map and notes away but lit another candle so they could to go up the stairs to the dormitory.  No one was in the common room anymore and they've stayed up till midnight just talking.  It wasn't like there was much to do anymore considering their restraints and new rules.  They couldn't even go to the library anymore.</p><p>"It was...terrible," Akaashi said honestly, planning to just avoid the topic completely but it ended up slipping out.  He didn't want to think about it but now that the topic was out there he couldn't help but sigh loudly.  "My mom was being mean to Bokuto-san again.  It was annoying and Bokuto-san acts like he doesn't care but I know he does.  I want to ask him, but it's pointless."  Akaashi and Kenma made it to their room, their other roommates sleeping by now. Kenma blew out the candle.</p><p>"Did you try kissing him?  That's one of your moves, isn't it?"  Kenma asked in a whisper, both of them heading to their separate beds but turning to look at each other.  "I did," Akaashi whispered back, shifting his bed so he was on the edge and would be able to talk to Kenma better.  "It didn't work."</p><p>"What about cuddling?"<br/>"No."<br/>"Date suggestion?"<br/>"It wasn't a complete no, but he didn't seem that excited."<br/>"Complimenting him?"<br/>"Not even that," Akaashi groaned softly, shaking his head as Kenma went through the list of things Akaashi did to lift Bokuto's mood when he was upset.  None of those things worked today and it was stressing him out.</p><p>"Maybe you should ask him then-"</p><p>There was a tapping on the window, not loud enough to wake anyone else up but got Akaashi's and Kenma's attention right away.  Akaashi's eyes widened when he saw the familiar grey owl at the window, stopping it's tapping when Akaashi looked at him.  He gasped softly, quickly getting out of bed and over to the window, opening it slowly so it didn't make too much noise.</p><p>"Bokuto-san?"  The owl moved to the ledge of the window, and Akaashi petted it's head.  When the owl leaned into Akaashi's touch he knew right away it wasn't any regular owl.</p><p>"Kenma, can you-""Yes, yes.  Go."</p><p> </p><p>They had to meet at the back of the Ravenclaw tower outside, going to where Kenma kept Tetsurou since apparently it also had a blind spot from the windows.  Kenma was waiting inside to let them back in and to warn him if any teachers were coming.</p><p>"Bokuto-san?"  Bokuto transformed back into a human, immediately pulling Akaashi in a bone crushing hug before Akaashi could even open his arms.  He melted into the hug though, letting Bokuto do his way until he let go.</p><p>"I really smelled Akaashi," Bokuto said, Akaashi a bit confused but then eyes widening in realization as to what Bokuto was talking about.  "Bokuto-san-""I smelt you when you weren't there.  Trust me, I really did.  It was all you, only you." </p><p>Akaashi wasn't sure how to respond.  Bokuto pulled away, his hands still on Akaashi's shoulders so he could look straight at him.  There wasn't much light outside except for the stars and the half moon, but Akaashi could see Bokuto's expression all the same.  He seemed anxious and troubled, yet sincere that made Akaashi want to believe him right away.</p><p>"But you said-""Because Akaashi was there with me!  I must've not noticed a different in scents because you were with me.  I'm sorry I'm dumb and didn't realize sooner, but please believe me.  You're who I love the most in the world, Akaashi.  I love you more than anything else." </p><p>Akaashi's heart was racing as he looked into Bokuto's eyes, his head straining as he was trying to convince Akaashi of his love, but Akaashi didn't need convincing.  Bokuto was goofy and silly and a little slow - but he was also determined and strong-willed, never letting Akaashi face anything alone and always stays by his side despite the difficulty it brings to Bokuto.  Potion or no potion, Akaashi didn't doubt Bokuto's love for him.</p><p>Why didn't he think of this sooner?</p><p>"I love you too, Bokuto-san."  Akaashi said firmly, his face also going from his neutral expression to a softer one, not being able to help it.  Bokuto with him under the stars together, everything else in the world fading away.  He couldn't even remember how long they've been out here.</p><p>"Bokuto-san-"  Bokuto didn't wait, to lean down, pulling Akaashi in for a deep kiss, his arms tightening around Akaashi's waist, pulling him up a bit.  Akaashi's hands gripped Bokuto's arms, up to his biceps, tightening his grip as Bokuto opened his mouth, gently pushing his tongue in.  Akaashi moaned softly, one of his hands going up to Bokuto's hair to pull him down more. <br/>There was no way he was pulling away.</p><p>"Akaashi-""More," Akaashi whispered against his mouth, leaning in when Bokuto pulled away to take a breath.  "More, Bokuto-san. Just a little more."  Bokuto didn't hesitate, going down again and kissing Akaashi again, much more passionate and much more sensuous.  Akaashi whimpered against Bokuto's mouth as Bokuto's hands went from a tight hug to Akaashi's thigh, right under his ass and squeezing hard, making Akaashi yelp in surprise, but even still he didn't pull away.  Bokuto had to pull away when Akaashi started tugging his hair, knowing it was going to far.</p><p>"Wait, Akaashi," Bokuto panted softly, stopping the kiss.  "We might-We might get caught.  Not now, okay?"  Akaashi sighed in annoyance, looking back at Hogwarts and scowling but knew Bokuto was right.  They should be getting back before a teacher on duty caught them.</p><p>"Alright.  Let's go back then, I guess," Akaashi sulked, letting go of Bokuto, but Bokuto quickly put an arm around Akaashi's waist and pulling him to kiss his cheek.  "Don't be sad," Bokuto whispered in his ear.  "We can continue another time."</p><p>Akaashi felt his face turn pink, but he couldn't help but be excited.  He looked up at Bokuto, smirking softly and nodded.</p><p>"I'll hold you to that," Akaashi whispered back, holding Bokuto's hand that was around him right now, caressing his thumb over his knuckles.  Who needed a stupid potion to tell Akaashi that Bokuto loved him when Bokuto told him so earnestly every time it mattered.  He would take Bokuto's words over a potion any day - he wished this was his mindset much sooner.</p><p>"Because I know you won't disappoint me, Bokuto-san."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Confessions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hinata.  Hinata boke, wake up."<br/>
"Ngh...5 more minutes."</p><p>The sun wasn't even out yet, but this wasn't the first time Kageyama did this.  He would usually wake Hinata up at 4:30 AM or 5 AM so they wouldn't miss the sunrise, disguising his excuse as flying practice.  Usually it would work right away and Hinata was able to wake up right away but nowadays he was so tired and bummed out about no Quidditch.  Kageyama was still stubborn though.</p><p>"Hurry up.  I don't want to miss the sunrise again."</p><p>They found a bit of a loophole with the curfew, not counting the early mornings as breaking it.  So these mornings Kageyama would drag Hinata since they weren't able to watch the sunset anymore.  Kageyama at least tried to get Hinata to join him, but there were some days he spent watching them alone.  Those were the days he thought a lot more and reflected on things he didn't think he would ever have to.</p><p>"Fine.  I'll go by myself then."</p><p>This line always got Hinata groaning, sitting up finally and glaring at Kageyama.  "I'm coming, I'm coming.  Don't be a baby," Hinata would groan, but Kageyama wouldn't mind.  If Hinata agreed, was there really anything wrong?  </p><p>Hinata has been exhausted nowadays with trying to get as much flying practice in the evening with Kageyama and trying to study a little bit harder (he was terrified to go home and get a huge lecture from his mom so maybe some good grades would help him out a bit).  He loved watching the sunrise in the morning with Kageyama, riding their brooms together, flying side by side, watching the wind blowing Kageyama's hair back so he could see his face properly.  Kageyama always looked so relaxed when he was in the air, like he wasn't thinking about anything and his heart was at peace - Hinata wanted to make him feel like that.</p><p>If only the sunrise happened at around 12 PM.</p><p>"What's the weather like?"<br/>
"Bring a sweater.  I'm not giving you mine."</p><p>Their bickering still continued despite coming back after everything that happened in the Forbidden Forest.  Even though Hinata ran for his life from a dragon and a werewolf, and Kageyama spent almost 24 hours with Tsukishima, they both still found things to fight about.  <br/>
Hinata wondered if this would continue forever.</p><p>"Hurry up.  I think I can see the sun rising already."</p><p> </p><p>The air was cold outside.  Flying - which was only made possibly after Kageyama's dad sent him another broom for him and Hinata - made things colder but still Hinata was warm all over and not just because of the sweater.  </p><p>Kageyama looked like he has been thinking a lot these days, his eyes staring at the sunrise like it was going to go somewhere once he looked away.  He looked at it like he was longing for something, like the sunrise was something he couldn't reach, but Hinata was 110% Kageyama would be able to catch the sun if he wanted to.  Kageyama was a hard worker afterall.</p><p>"Sometimes I think," Hinata started saying, not sure if Kageyama could hear him.  "If we'll be friends forever."</p><p>It seemed that he did hear because Kageyama managed to get his attention, turning his head over at Hinata, glaring at him.  It made Hinata shiver and look away quickly, embarrassed by his words.  <br/>
Surprisingly, Kageyama didn't hit him.</p><p>"Do you...want to be friends forever?"</p><p>The way Kageyama's voice hesitated should've been an indicator of dissatisfaction, but the wind was too loud as they flew through the sky that Hinata couldn't hear it.  He could hear the question though, and he also felt a wavering in his stomach.</p><p>"I mean...do you?"</p><p>There was no answer which made Hinata more anxious, wondering what Kageyama was thinking.  Hinata liked his face, but when he couldn't understand his expression was when he got annoyed with him.  He wanted Kageyama to tell him what was on his mind.  He wanted Kageyama to voice out his feelings a little more so he knew what to do.  He wanted Kageyama to trust that Hinata would listen to him intently and whole-heartedly.  <br/>
Sometimes he felt like there was a wall between him and Kageyama that he needed to break down in order to have the right to love him properly.  He wished he knew how to break it.</p><p>Kageyama couldn't say it so easily though.  He couldn't help but get this nervous because, well, it's Hinata.  Hinata who could get along with anyone with his open book personality and bright face that people were naturally attracted to.  How could someone, so dark and moody like Kageyama, possible suit someone so lovable as Hinata.  And maybe he's gotten so used to fighting that he didn't quite know a life outside of fighting with him.   <br/>
So maybe it was a bit of his fault, but Kageyama couldn't bring himself to confront his feelings without hesitating about it. </p><p>"Hinata," Kageyama slowed down his broom, looking over to Hinata.  The rays of the sun were behind him, illuminating his outline in a way that made him shine.  Kageyama wasn't sure how he felt about Hinata becoming even brighter.</p><p>"Why don't we stop and watch the sunset.  Without flying."</p><p> </p><p>Now they were sitting on the top of the Astronomy tower, the tallest one in the castle.  Both were facing the horizon of the sunrise, watching as it slowly came up, the colours swirling into one beautiful combination of yellow, orange and pink, becoming brighter every minute as the sky got more blue and the day was starting.  Both of them could agree it was always a breathtaking view.</p><p>If they were stuck in the Forbidden Forest forever or even, knock on wood, died there, would Hinata have regretted not telling Kageyama his feelings?  When he was about to stay behind with the dragon, he said he was happy he met Kageyama and he didn't need to go on if he couldn't.  Being reminded of Kageyama's life though, his perseverance to stay the best and better than the best, it reminded him about why he even liked Kageyama in the first place.<br/>
If Hinata couldn't even go through a simple confession to Kageyama, then he wasn't aiming for the best.  And Hinata wanted the best, wanted to be the best and maybe one day better than Kageyama.  He felt like maybe, and the more they grew up he hoped they'd realize it more, that together they could be unstoppable - individually and together.</p><p>"Kageyama," Hinata said softly, keeping his eyes on the sunrise.  "I like you."  </p><p>There was a silence between them that made them both stressed out, Hinata panicking inwardly and Kageyama screaming in his head.  How was he supposed to react?  His face as indifferent, and to Hinata he looked cool.<br/>
Not even a flinch of reaction.</p><p>"Kage-""You like me?  What's that supposed to mean?"  Kageyama cut him off with a scoff, still not looking at Hinata.  He was about to yell at him to take this seriously because it would honestly hurt Hinata more if Kageyama thought his feelings weren't genuine, but suddenly Hinata could see the colour in Kageyama's cheek.  He was blushing. </p><p>Kageyama was blushing and now Hinata didn't know what to do.</p><p>"I mean, I like you.  I'm really saying I lo-love you."  Hinata cleared his throat awkwardly, unsure if this was a good reaction or not.  He still couldn't figure out Kageyama's thoughts, but the longer he looked at him the louder his heart got.</p><p>Hinata's heart was thumping in a different beat he wasn't used to.  He could hear the pounding in his ears, his whole body feeling the different beats, in his legs, his hands, his mind.  He couldn't focus on anything else and the quiet reaction was only amplifying the noise.  He wanted it to stop or run away, but his body was frozen in place, his eyes glued onto Kageyama, unable to look away.  Why wasn't he answering?  Was he disgusted?  Did he hate Hinata now?</p><p>Kageyama's mind was yelling at him.</p><p>"Why?"  Kageyama asked, taking both of them by surprise.  Hinata stuttered, trying to get a proper answer out, but it was difficult.  He could tell anyone else why Kageyama was an amazing person he loved, but telling Kageyama himself?  It was a littler nerving.</p><p>"Uh, well, is there a need for a reason?  I just like Kageyama..." Kageyama didn't buy it, finally looking over at Hinata making Hinata's heart stop.  He couldn't handle his stare right now.</p><p>"I like you because Kageyama...there's no one else like Kageyama.  You make me want to work even harder and become even stronger.  I can't help but be envious of you, but at the same time admire you.  Before I knew it..." Hinata trailed off, laughing nervously as Kageyama's expression didn't change.  Was he being lame right now?  He just wanted to shut up all of a sudden.</p><p>Kageyama on the other hand, he didn't think it was fair Hinata was being so cute.</p><p>"Hinata," Kageyama sighed, softly, looking back at the sunrise which was almost finished, the sun pretty much out by now, the horizon changing from the mix of different colours to the solid yellows and blues and oranges.  The way the sun's light hit Kageyama's face was unreal, how he could look so good.  He leaned his head back, closing his eyes, the blush spreading from his cheeks to his neck.</p><p>"I...I like you too...."</p><p>Hinata's heart actually stopped - or skipped a beat, he couldn't tell the difference - this time and he felt like he was about to faint.  Every muscle in his body tensed up and he felt like his heart and mind were about to explode.  He couldn't tell if Kageyama was joking, but then again, when did Kageyama ever joke around?</p><p>"Wa-Wait!"  Hinata exclaimed, crawling closer to Kageyama so he was right beside him, shoving his face into Kageyama's.  When Kageyama opened his eyes he gasped in shock, jumping back, but Hinata only came closer.</p><p>"What are you-""You actually like me?  Like, you love me?"</p><p>Kageyama had to cover his face when he felt the heat spread, pretty sure he was going from pink to red on every part of skin that was being shown.  Hinata was probably too busy with the confession that he didn't tease him, but Kageyama felt so shy and embarrassed.  How could Hinata say these things so easily?</p><p>"I mean, I guess..." Kageyama sighed, trying not to look at Hinata, but Hinata's eyes were sparkling up at him, waiting to hear more.  Kageyama's heart clenched, gritting his teeth as he looked away again.</p><p>"Yeah.  I love you, Hinata."</p><p>Hinata lost his breath, knocked right out of him enough to sit back down, holding his chest right where his heart was.  He felt like he might scream or sing or jump or sprint or laugh - he wanted to do it all.</p><p>He wanted to do it all with Kageyama.</p><p>"What do you love about me?""Don't get cocky, boke."</p><p> </p><p>They went back inside once the sun was fully risen, getting back to their dorms before anyone woke up.  They didn't talk much as they went back, but Hinata didn't mind at all.  Just being beside Kageyama was enough.</p><p>"Kageyama," Hinata said quietly, the two of them still on the stairs.  Hinata was two steps behind him so he had to look up even more to see Kageyama's face properly.  Kageyama stopped too, looking down at him.</p><p>"Yes?"<br/>
"Are you my boyfriend now?"</p><p>Hinata could see the slight confusion in Kageyama's eyes, like he was thinking it over.  They would be their first relationship (hopefully the last too) so none of them knew what they were doing.  They loved each other.  Now what?</p><p>"I mean, do you want me to be-""Of course!"  Hinata responded right away before Kageyama could finish his question, knowing where he was going with it anyway.  "Of course I want you to be my boyfriend.  That's why I told you I like you."  His response was too confident and blunt that Kageyama couldn't help but blush again.  He swore, only Hinata could make him like this.</p><p>"Then...Then I'm your boyfriend now."  Kageyama mumbled, looking away again, not being able to look Hinata in the eyes.  But he was doing it again, shining his eyes widely at Kageyama, so excitedly like a kid waiting for a treat.  It really wasn't good for his heart.</p><p>"Really?  So when another girl confesses to you, you'll say 'no, I have a boyfriend'?"  Kageyama raised his eyebrows, finally looking down at Hinata, his expression from sparkling to pouting.  Was he thinking about all those girls confessions now?  It wasn't something to worry about, but it seemed to occupy Hinata's thoughts.  A good boyfriend would put his heart at ease, right?</p><p>"Uh, you know, till now, uhm, every confession I got I would tell them," Kageyama coughed awkwardly.  "I would tell them that I was in love with someone else, so..."</p><p>Hinata's eyes widened, his mouth gaping in surprise and awe.  How cool was Kageyama!  His heart didn't even have time to stop anymore with how happy he was right now.  Kageyama was admitting something like this to Hinata, <em>about </em>Hinata - Hinata felt like flying.</p><p>"Kageyama, kiss me!"</p><p>Kageyama gasped at the sudden request, feeling his words jumble in his throat, grunting softly under his breath. Such a bold request so quickly!  He felt his lips tingly at the thought before shaking his head vigorously.</p><p>"N-Not yet!  I'm not ready!"</p><p>The way Hinata's head dropped, pouting in slight defeat, Kageyama was honestly a little shocked he gave up so easily.  He looked sad about being rejected a kiss that something in Kageyama kicked himself, sighing loudly and shaking his head.</p><p>"Close your eyes."  Hinata snapped his head up, squealing quietly, his excited expression returning, closing his eyes, squeezing them shut, then puckered his lips way too much.  Kageyama had to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing at how silly Hinata looked, yet so eager to receive a kiss from Kageyama.<br/>
Kageyama still didn't know what he did to make Hinata like him, but he didn't want to ask too many times or else he might lose this opportunity.</p><p>Kageyama leaned down, pressing his lips against Hinata's forehead softly, closing his eyes and he let the kiss linger before he leaned back up, looking down at Hinata.  When Hinata opened his eyes they were narrowed at Kageyama.</p><p>"Not there!  On my lips, you idiot."  Kageyama pushed Hinata's face away, turning around quickly so he could go back up the stairs.  He didn't want to give Hinata enough time to see his face turning red again.  He wasn't in the mood to get teased right now.</p><p>"Kage-boke!  Come back here and kiss me properly!"</p><p> </p><p>"Did you guys watch the sunrise again?"  Daichi asked them with a sigh, sitting together in the dining hall to eat breakfast.  Everyone was there, but Daichi was focusing on them and they could feel a lecture coming.</p><p>"You two are gonna get caught one day and you'll get in even more trouble."  Kageyama held in an eye roll while Hinata nodded, looking down at his food because they both knew that they were going to do it again.  No matter how many times, even if they got caught, if Kageyama wanted to see the sunrise then Hinata would want to go with him.</p><p>"You two...really," Daichi shook his head in disapproval, but Bokuto and Kuroo joined them soon as well, grinning at them.  Bokuto slapped Hinata on the back while Kuroo pulled Kageyama in a side hug, both of them giggling. </p><p>"Leave them be, Daichi.  Young love is adorable and needs to flourish properly," Bokuto cooed, making both Hinata and Kageyama blush, but no one denied it.  Kuroo laughed, slapping Kageyama on the back hard making Kageyama grunt, choking on on his pancake that he was trying to swallow.  Daichi quickly gave him a glass of milk, reaching to pat him on the back.  </p><p>"Drink, drink," Daichi watched him, making sure Kageyama drank the milk and stopped choking.  Hinata watched in worry, whimpering helplessly, rubbing Kageyama's back as well.  Kageyama stopped choking in a few minutes, wiping his watering eyes.</p><p>"I just don't want you guys to get in trouble," Daichi said sternly, going back to lecturing Kageyama and Hinata for sneaking out.  "And it's not like you guys are still in the school.  You're out flying around just to see a sunrise.  It's the same sun every day, it's not going anywhere."  Daichi tried to talk some sense into them, but he had a very strong feeling they weren't going to obey so easily.</p><p>"Daichi, Daichi," Kuroo tsk'ed, shaking his head.  "You should know more than anyone else that you need a little thrill in the relationship, yeah?  Leave them be for now.  Wait until one of them gets hurt or something."</p><p>Now that Kageyama and Hinata were looking up at Daichi properly now they noticed he was wearing a scarf while inside.  It was way too obvious and they were both confused as to why he was wearing it.  Sure it was getting colder outside, but inside they were pretty toasty warm.<br/>
Before they could ask though, the subject went back to Hinata and Kageyama.</p><p>"I'm just saying, the sunrises and sunsets can wait, okay?  I don't wanna lose anymore house points either.  We're already hated for losing so many," Daichi reminded them making them all sulk a bit.  They've gotten a few comments about losing hundreds of points during the Quidditch match and now they needed to work extra hard in class to get those points back since there wouldn't be any other Quidditch games in a while.  Kageyama and Hinata both nodded slowly.</p><p>"How about limit it to the weekends," Kuroo suggested, letting go of Kageyama finally so that they both could eat.  "So at least if they try stopping you, you could at least say that 'oh, it's Saturday though'.  Something like this."  Kageyama and Hinata glanced at each other, giving a small nod because they both had a feeling that they would still go out as many days as they could.</p><p>"Why do you even like the sunrise so much?"  Bokuto asked, looking at both of them but Hinata pointed at Kageyama.  "Kageyama likes watching them more than me.  He drags me out every morning.""Boke!"  Kageyama hit the top of Hinata's head making Hinata groan, rubbing the spot he just hit.  "What was that for?""You practically beg to come with me!  Don't blame this all on me!"</p><p>Hinata pouted, the aching spot numbing as he rubbed it, but he didn't fight back.  With what happened earlier this morning, it was impossible for his mood to spoil so easily.</p><p>"Why do you like the sunrise so much then, Kageyama?  Any reason why?"  Daichi asked again making Kageyama shrug, but then actually started to think about it.  He glanced down at Hinata, then back up at Daichi, then at Hinata, then looked back up at Daichi again.</p><p>"The sunrise...is the same colour as Hinata's hair."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Hogsmeade</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Guys, I just saw that Slytherin kid Tsukishima and the Hufflepuff Yamaguchi making out at Three Bro-hey, stop laughing! I'm serious!"</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is dedicated to Justagaybean!<br/>I hope everyone will enjoy it though &gt;.&lt;</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was dangerous how oblivious Yamaguchi was to his popularity.</p><p>Yamaguchi was cute.  Tsukishima knew this without a doubt, he had to deny it for so long.  He couldn't even begin to imagine what Yamaguchi was going to look like when they grew up more.  At first he thought he would take pride in it, even though they haven't told anyone they were official, at least he knew his boyfriend was a looker.  Yamaguchi and him together should look good together, right?  They suited each other's features and had their own good points on their physiques that balanced each other out.  This was what Tsukishima thought.</p><p>"Oh, sorry-"  Yamaguchi bumped into a shorter, cute Hufflepuff, accidentally dropping her books.  Of course, Yamaguchi smiled, apologizing as well, going down to help her pick up her books, handing them to her.</p><p>"No, it's fine.  I should've looked where I was going," Yamaguchi chuckled, offering a shy, bright smile that made her swoon in a way that made Tsukishima clench his jaw <em>and </em>his heart skip a beat at the same time.  The Hufflepuff girl blushed, looking down shyly, tucking a hair behind her ear.  Tsukishima was confused - did she not see Tsukishima right there beside him?</p><p>"You're Yamaguchi-san, right?"  So she was younger too.  Yamaguchi nodded in response.  "Yes, I am."  He didn't ask a follow up question which Tsukishima thought was their sign that they wanted to leave, but she wasn't walking anywhere.  Yamaguchi kept looking at her before moving to the side, trying to walk around her, but she started talking again.</p><p>"Ya-Yamaguchi-san, uh," she giggled nervously, Yamaguchi stopping, waiting for her to say something.  Tsukishima looked up, trying his hardest not to make it obvious that he was getting annoyed.  "Yes?""Uh, thank you for helping me.  I-I hope we can see each other more!"  With that she quickly scurried away, Tsukishima could see her cheeks turning pink.  <br/>
It pissed him off.</p><p>Yamaguchi was kind.  Tsukishima has experienced Yamaguchi's infinite kindness multiple times, even when it was undeserved.  He felt like Yamaguchi should be a little more cruel to people to make sure he wasn't taken advantage of, but he's learned that this was just Yamaguchi's personality.  It would be difficult for him to reverse his own personality just because Tsukishima asked him to.</p><p>However, now that they were hanging out together again, he's noticed that Yamaguchi <em>has</em> been getting a little more sarcastic and sassy, joining in on Tsukishima's snarky remarks and laughing whenever Tsukishima laughed even though it was mean.  Tsukishima thought that Yamaguchi would be left alone a little bit because of his new mean side, not being the sweet Yamaguchi he started off as.  Tsukishima didn't attract many people because of it, and from what he knew Kageyama didn't have many friends either (who cares about some confessions here and there).  Yamaguchi was getting a bit more colder, and though he was no where close to Tsukishima's personality, then at least some of the half-hearted people who 'liked'  Yamaguchi would be disposed of.  This is what Tsukishima thought.</p><p>Apparently, it made Yamaguchi a lot cooler.</p><p>"Sorry, I couldn't hear you from down there," Tsukishima scoffed at Hinata, after Hinata asked Tsukishima to pass something onto Iwaizumi - it was a present of some sort, he didn't bother asking what it was - refusing him right away.  Tsukishima wasn't a messenger boy.</p><p>"Good one, Tsuki," Yamaguchi giggled beside him.  This is how Tsukishima knew Yamaguchi wasn't truly that mean, because that wasn't the worst insult Tsukishima has thrown out to someone. <br/>
Hinata growled at the two of them, glaring at Tsukishima especially but he tried to push the wrapped present in Tsukishima's hand, insisting that he took it, but Tsukishima wasn't even holding his hand out.  </p><p>"Come on!  You just have to give it to Iwaizumi-san.  It's not that hard," Hinata groaned in frustration when Tsukishima wasn't taking it.  He tried to give it to Yamaguchi though, his face a little desperate.  "Please?  I'm sorry to inconvenience you, but I really need to get back to my tower before my curfew.  My boyfriend is waiting for me."</p><p>That's when Tsukishima remembered, when he saw Hinata talking to Yamaguchi, that Hinata didn't exactly know that Yamaguchi and Tadashi were the same person.  Hinata didn't know Yamaguchi was the one he should watch out for since his little sister was rumored to have a big crush on Yamaguchi.</p><p>"Tadashi.  Let's go," Tsukishima said in a husky, low voice, taking Yamaguchi's hand and trying to pull him into the Slytherin tower.  The name got Hinata's attention right away, his eyes snapping at Yamaguchi, his face full of realization and slowly turning to anger.</p><p>"<em>You're </em>Tadashi?"  Hinata growled, forgetting about the gift and stepping closer to Yamaguchi.  "What's so great about you, huh?"  Hinata had to look up at him.  "Why, because you're tall?  You're in the same house?  You think you're good enough for my sister, huh?"  Yamaguchi was easily confused now, furrowing his eyebrows and stepping back, shocked at the sudden attack.  He hesitated a bit, unsure how to answer, looking over at Tsukishima but Tsukishima shrugged, pretending to not know what was going on.</p><p>"Eh, uh, first off, please don't talk to me like that," Yamaguchi spat out, a bit sarcastically taking Hinata by surprise.  "And second, I don't even know who you are, so don't think I'm not good enough for someone just because you're jealous.  It doesn't really help your case considering the many things you seem to lack."  Yamaguchi exaggerated his need to bend down to meet Hinata's height, raising an eyebrow at him.  "Don't you think so?"</p><p>Tsukishima smirked to himself, looking away so Hinata wouldn't see, but from the corner of his eye he could see Hinata turning red with frustration, looking like he was about to burst, but Yamaguchi was already walking back, heading into the Slytherin tower with Tsukishima.  </p><p>"Sorry, <em>kid</em>.  Maybe talk to me when you don't have to strain your neck to talk to me," Yamaguchi snickered, Tsukishima screaming on the inside because of how proud he was of Yamaguchi for coming this far.  He felt like he's really influenced Yamaguchi till now and he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for being the influence.  He might not tell Yamaguchi this though.</p><p>Hinata groaned loudly, shaking his head as he stomped away from the Slytherin tower, muttering insults under his breath.  Tsukishima chuckled, Yamaguchi holding Tsukishima's pinky as they went into the Slytherin tower where other Slytherins were as well in the common room.  Tsukishima just wanted to get to his dorm where he knew none of his roommates were in just yet.</p><p>"Not bad for a Hufflepuff."  Tendou - how he came out of nowhere like that, Tsukishima didn't care.  Tsukishima realized very quickly after the whole explanation of what happened with the Amortentia that Yamaguchi did in fact not have a crush on Tendou.  But Tendou still wasn't his friend or anything.</p><p>"Didn't pin you for someone cool, Yamaguchi-kun.  Keep it up and you might do better than Tsuki-kun," Tendou laughed, winking at Yamaguchi, patting Tsukishima on the head before waving off as he left the Slytherin tower.  Tsukishima didn't bother telling him to come back.  He didn't care if Tendou got caught.</p><p>"But...Tsuki is the best there is!"  Yamaguchi insisted with a whining tone and even though Tsukishima appreciated such a compliment it didn't really help him that much because if someone like Tendou noticed - Tendou who latches onto his boyfriend like a leech - then surely single people will notice Yamaguchi's sudden cooler demeanor.  He wasn't sure if he should feel that proud anymore.<br/>
It annoyed him.</p><p>Yamaguchi was boyfriend material.  This was one that shocked him because he didn't actually know what Yamaguchi was like romantically.  </p><p>"Chocolate?"<br/>
"Yes!  Chocolate covered strawberries.  Do you like them?"</p><p>Tsukishima looked down at the cutely wrapped box, opening the lid and looking down at the treats.  There were different chocolate flavours, all covering a strawberry and the strawberries were placed in the box to make a heart.  The way Yamaguchi looked like an excited puppy, waiting for Tsukishima to say something, Tsukishima didn't hestitate taking a strawberry out and eating one.</p><p>"I like it," Tsukishima nodded, holding the strawberry to Yamaguchi's mouth and giving him a bite.  Yamaguchi took it, giggling happily.  They were now in History of Magic class right now, but the class was rather boring to the both of them so Yamaguchi decided to give a little gift to Tsukishima now instead of sneaking Tsukishima past curfew to give it to him.  Besides, the chocolate might've melted before he had time to give it any later.</p><p>"Wow, Yama-kun," Yachi - another Hufflepuff in their class who sat in front of them in History of Magic - awed, looking down at the chocolate covered strawberries, pouting a bit.  "I wish I had a boyfriend like you.  I'm jealous.  Tsukishima-kun, you're so lucky to have a friend like Yama-kun." </p><p>'Yeah, I fucking know, don't get too clingy,' Tsukishima thought to himself, but of course didn't dare say it out loud.  He couldn't stand to look desperately possessive over Yamaguchi, and besides, Yamaguchi wasn't an object, he shouldn't be treating him like one.</p><p>After years of ignoring and dismissing him, he didn't want to go crazy now.</p><p>"You're very cute though, Yachi-chan.  Don't worry, you'll find a good boyfriend that can treat to much more than chocolate strawberries."  Tsukishima could see the blush rising on Yachi's cheeks, turning away quickly which made Yamaguchi confused, but Tsukishima stuffed another strawberry in his mouth angrily.  Yamaguchi couldn't see how sly he actually was.<br/>
It irritated him to no end.</p><p> </p><p>"Wa-Wait, Tsuki!  We shouldn't-""You don't want to?"</p><p>Yamaguchi shut up, letting Tsukishima lead the way to the exit of the school on the Slytherin side of the school, checking for teachers monitoring the area.  He made Yamaguchi put his hood up, sneaking past the teachers, through the courtyard and finally, off school property.  They would go the same way as they did during their field trips, but he supposed it still was sneaking out.  <br/>
Yeah, they weren't allowed to do this at all.</p><p>"Tsuki, what if we get cau-""Don't you trust me?"  Tsukishima smirked at Yamaguchi, putting an arm around Yamaguchi's waist, making Yamaguchi turn pink.  That's when he knew he had him.</p><p>They weren't allowed off of school grounds, even during the weekend, but Tsukishima really wanted to have some alone time with Yamaguchi right about now.  Ever since they've came out as dating either people didn't believe them or laughed.  So basically, no one really believed them.  <br/>
It wasn't like Tsukishima was screaming it on the rooftops though, so maybe he had no one to blame but himself.  At the same time, he didn't think it was necessary - Yamaguchi and him looked like a couple already, he didn't need to tell anyone.</p><p>"Is there something you needed to buy?"  Yamaguchi asked, reaching to taking Tsukishima's pinky, holding it as they walked.  Yamaguchi was hoping that no one would find them sneaking out, but going on a date like this with Tsukishima was a once in a while opportunity.  He wanted to indulge a little bit, especially when Tsukishima was being sweet all of a sudden.  He couldn't resist.</p><p>"No.  I just want to go on a date," Tsukishima said nonchalantly, shrugging.  "Is that wrong of me?""No!"  Yamaguchi said quickly, not wanting to go back now, especially when they were so close to the train station already.  "No, uhm, I was just wondering.  This is our first date, so I thought maybe I should've dressed a little more nicely," Yamaguchi chuckled softly, looking down at his regular pants and a simple grey hoodie, nothing too exciting.  </p><p>It didn't occur to Tsukishima that this being a first date meant that they had to make it the best date ever, or put too much thought into it.  After just being together with each other for so long it didn't really feel like a first date anyway.  It just felt normal, if he were to be honest.</p><p>"I think you look fine," Tsukishima shrugged, not looking down at Yamaguchi so he couldn't see his expression, but he was pretty sure Yamaguchi was beaming up at him.</p><p>Buying a ticket to Hogsmeade wasn't too difficult, the ticket sellers not asking any questions.  The train ride was nice too, looking out the window at the different villages and towns they passed.  It was fun to watch the scenery outside of Hogwarts once in a while, and it dawned on Tsukishima that Yamaguchi must not be too familiar with this side of area of the country, meaning that Yamaguchi was probably more fascinated than Tsukishima was.</p><p>"Yamaguchi, you haven't been to Hogsmeade yet," Tsukishima noted.  "Are you excited?"</p><p>Yamaguchi looked over at Tsukishima, changing his focus from the scenery outside to Tsukishima.  He nodded enthusiastically, making Tsukishima gulp, wondering if this was really a good idea.  Yamaguchi looked too eager, he might forget to pay attention Tsukishima.  </p><p>"Of course I'm excited!  It's my first date with Tsuki!"</p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi couldn't focus on anything else but Tsukishima.  He stood out wherever they were, his face definitely being a big factor to this, getting attention from many girls from all ages, all statuses no matter where they were.  </p><p>He knew his boyfriend was good looking but he didn't realize he had to be this worried.</p><p>"Should we go to Honeydukes?"  Tsukishima suggested, already leading Yamaguchi down the street, pushing through different people while Yamaguchi held onto his pinky, having to stay a little behind Tsukishima.  It was pretty crowded, which wasn't surprising since it was Saturday, but he was a little overwhelmed with the amount of people.  It was his first time here after all.</p><p>Honeydukes was an amazing candy store, big and bright with many popping colours, selling all sorts of magical candies, from chocolate frogs to every flavour jelly beans.  There were some free samples for a few different flavours of toffee that Tsukishima got for them, letting him taste a few different flavours.  Yamaguchi giggled when he got a caramel flavour, nodding his head in approval.</p><p>"It's sweet!"  Yamaguchi held a piece to Tsukishima's mouth, waiting for him to take a bite but Tsukishima just looked at him.  "What are you doing?"  Tsukishima asked, raising an eyebrow at him making Yamaguchi sputter a bit nervously.  "Uh, well, don't you wanna try a bit?"  Yamaguchi chuckled, putting his hand down, seeing how Tsukishima didn't think it was that cute to feed each other.</p><p>Instead, Tsukishima pulled Yamaguchi by the wrist, pulling him to the corner of the store.  There was quite a few people in Honeydukes, but no one would recognize them.  He pulled Yamaguchi's hood up, leaning down so their noses were touching.</p><p>"If you wanna feed me, then feed me properly," Tsukishima smirked as Yamaguchi hiccuped, feeling Yamaguchi's body trembling as he put his hands on his hips.  "Open your mouth, Yamaguchi."  Yamaguchi obeyed right away.</p><p>Tsukishima put the toffee in Yamaguchi's mouth before leaning down, pushing his tongue right after, humming as he felt the toffee, swirling his own tongue around tasting both the toffee and Yamaguchi.  He could feel Yamaguchi hesitating as he moved his tongue, trying to do something as well, but Tsukishima didn't need him to - he could take the lead.</p><p>He started to slide his hand up, resting them on the small of Yamaguchi's back, making Yamaguchi yelp but didn't pull away either, whining in Tsukishima's mouth as the toffee started to melt, their saliva mixing together, making things much more sloppy.  When Tsukishima could feel Yamaguchi losing breath he pulled away, chuckling lowly as Yamaguchi panted softly when he broke the kiss.  He wiped the drool from Yamaguchi's mouth with his thumb, sucking it off and making a show of his tongue, his eyes giving off a sultry gaze.  <br/>
Yamaguchi gulped, his whole body shaking.</p><p>"Tsu-Tsuki," Yamaguchi whined, but Tsukishima stopped him, wiping his thumb on his bottom lip, looking down at him hotly.  Tsukishima loved the way shuddered.  </p><p>"You're right.  The toffee was quite sweet."</p><p> </p><p>Three Broomsticks was a nice, cozy little pub that ended up being their last stop, Yamaguchi excited to try Butterbeer for the first time.  Tsukishima also bought a bit of food for them to snack on, coming back to the booth Yamaguchi was at, placing the food on the table.  Yamaguchi looked incredibly excited that it made Tsukishima wonder if he ever needed to try harder in the future or if simple dates like this were enough.</p><p>"Thank you, Tsuki," Yamaguchi clapped, taking the Butterbeer and sipping it, his eyes widening as the taste hit his tongue, nodding in approval.  "It's yummy!  But maybe because I'm drinking it with Tsuki."</p><p>Tsukishima planned on sitting in front of Yamaguchi but he changed to sitting beside Yamaguchi, not being able to resist.  He put an arm around Yamaguchi's waist, not looking at his surprised expression because Tsukishima wanted Yamaguchi to continue thinking Tsukishima was cool.  He was sure Yamaguchi was squealing in the inside.</p><p>"Are you having fun?"  Tsukishima asked, Yamaguchi nodding his head right away without even thinking.  Even doing nothing with Tsukishima was fun, Yamaguchi had no complaints whatsoever.</p><p>"I'm happy we went shopping too.  I'm surprised we were able to buy so much," Yamaguchi said, going through their bags of stuff.  It was mainly Tsukishima who paid for things, but Yamaguchi was able to buy little things, like some candies from Honeydukes.</p><p>"These Lemon Drops are for Asahi-san," Yamaguchi pulled different candies out, showing them to Tsukishima.  "And these Pixie Puffs are for Kenma, and the chocolate frogs are for Kuroo-san.  He has a collection of the cards, but I heard he still needs Godric Gryffindor.  Apparently he's really rare.  I was thinking about starting my own card collection too, but I guess I'm a little too late.  Kuroo-san showed me his collection - he's been collecting since he was a kid!"</p><p>Tsukishima watched as Yamaguchi gushed over the different gifts he bought for his friends, not minding with the names he listed so far, trusting that none of them would get the wrong idea when Yamaguchi came back with presents.  It was cute to see him being generous as well, excitedly planning to give everything he bought to someone.</p><p>"Did you buy something for yourself?"  Tsukishima asked, making Yamaguchi stop in the middle of putting things away, opening his mouth then closing, like he was realizing something.  Tsukishima chuckled, kissing the top of Yamaguchi's head.  "It's fine.  I'll buy you something if you want."  Yamaguchi quickly shook his head, looking up at Tsukishima, furrowing his eyebrows.</p><p>"A date with Tsuki is enough!  You don't need to buy anything for me."</p><p>Times like this Tsukishima was always hesitant, not knowing if this should actually be something he could let slide.  Yamaguchi seemed so content with only being with Tsukishima, but was that really okay?  Tsukishima felt like he should at least be doing something to compensate after all these years, right?  It didn't seem fair to just let Yamaguchi forget about everything.</p><p>"Tsuki, you want some?"  Yamaguchi pushed the Butterbeer to Tsukishima, offering some, pulling Tsukishima out of his thoughts.  Tsukishima was about to take a sip from, but then got an idea, looking down at Yamaguchi.</p><p>"What did I say about feeding me?"  Yamaguchi stilled for a moment before turning pink, biting his lip.  He looked from the Butterbeer to the Tsukishima, nervously taking the Butterbeer and bringing it to his mouth, Tsukishima watching closely as he took a sip.  Tsukishima hummed approvingly, waiting for Yamaguchi to pull him down for a kiss.  It took some time, Yamaguchi trembling as he leaned up, pressing his lips against Tsukishima's.</p><p>Tsukishima took charge easily, forcing Yamaguchi's mouth open with his tongue, putting his hand lightly on Yamaguchi's jaw, holding him still.  He could feel Yamaguchi struggling to keep the Butterbeer in his mouth as Tsukishima lapped his tongue in his mouth, 'tasting' the Butterbeer.  <br/>
Some of the Butterbeer spilled from Yamaguchi's mouth making him whine, but Tsukishima was quick to briefly pull away from the kiss, licking the corner's of his mouth and his chin, chuckling as Yamaguchi quietly whimpered at Tsukishima.</p><p>"Tsu-Tsuki," he groaned, hiding his face in Tsukishima's shoulder.  "You're not being nice."  Tsukishima couldn't help but smirk, shaking his head, leaning down so his mouth right next to Yamaguchi's ear.</p><p>"I told you.  I don't plan on loving you gently."</p><p> </p><p>They couldn't feel the staring and both of them didn't put their hoods up, forgetting completely that they sneaked out and were out here at risk.  Yamaguchi was too dazed to remember anyway, his eyes getting hazy and hooded as he looked at Tsukishima.<br/>
Really, Tsukshima wasn't being fair and always catching Yamaguchi off guard.  Yamaguchi couldn't help but stare at him dumbly, unable to say or do anything more.  It felt like Tsukishima knew what to do in order to make him feel numb all over.   He wanted to have more of this.</p><p>"Hey!"  The sudden holler made both of them turn their heads, their eyes widening when they saw Hinata at the entrance of Three Broomsticks, glaring at both of them, stomping all the way to their table.  It took both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi by surprise, Hinata fuming at both of them, but mainly Yamaguchi.</p><p>"Are you serious?  My sister likes you and you make out with a-a-"  Hinata gestured his hands to Tsukishima, sputtering gibberish.  "Why does my sister like you?  I don't get it."</p><p>This was the second time Hinata has brought up his sister liking Yamaguchi, but Yamaguchi didn't even know what he was talking about.  "I'm sorry, but who is your sister again?"  Yamaguchi asked confusedly, scratching his head thinking.  <br/>
Hinata did not like that question, slamming his hand on the table making it shake.</p><p>"You're really the <em>worst</em>, aren't you?"  Hinata growled, about to pounce on Yamaguchi but was quickly caught before he could successfully attack Yamaguchi.  He groaned, trying to get out the grip.</p><p>"Le-Let go, Bokuto-san!"<br/>
"I said I would sneak you out if you <em>behave.</em>  If Daichi finds out about this I am so dead," Bokuto hissed at Hinata, putting him back down on the ground then finally looked at Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, raising his eyebrows.</p><p>"Oh, so I see it's not just us," Bokuto chuckled, looking over at Yamaguchi.  "Yamaguchi?  Didn't think I'd catch you sneaking out," he said, then started looking between Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, cocking his head a bit.  Yamaguchi and Bokuto knew each other through Kuroo and Nishinoya, but they weren't that close.  He was inwardly praying though that Bokuto would be nice enough not to tell any of the other students.  If he did, Bokuto would get in trouble too.</p><p>"Bokuto-san, they were making out!  They were just making out with each other! Did you not see?"  </p><p>Bokuto looked between Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, his eyes shifting between them, like he was taking it in.  "Were...they?"</p><p>It was a bit known that Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were childhood friends, and from what Bokuto's heard from Kuroo was that Tsukishima was quite cold towards Yamaguchi even though Yamaguchi was quite obsessed with Tsukishima.  It sounded more like a sad story, so they must've made up since they were sneaking out together.<br/>
But he's never heard of them dating before.  And frankly, he couldn't really see it.  </p><p>"Well," Bokuto looked at Yamaguchi.  "I guess...I don't know...." Hinata groaned in frustration when Bokuto didn't believe him, gesturing to them largely again.  </p><p>"How did you not see it?  They were just...<em>ngeah!</em>"  Hinata spoke gibberish, getting more worked up when Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were just staring at Hinata, not saying anything.</p><p>"Come on, Hinata, you still haven't bought Kageyama's birthday gift yet," Bokuto tried to get Hinata to come out from the Three Broomsticks, but Hinata was determined, staying right where he was.  Hinata hated how Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were just silent, not denying nor admitting that they were just shoving their tongues down each other's mouth seconds ago.  <br/>
How did Bokuto not see it?</p><p>"Tell him!  Tell him you two were making out!  I saw it-""Hinata, it's not a big deal," Bokuto pulled Hinata back again, but Hinata was screeching by now.  "It <em>is</em>!  I have to tell Natsu-chan her crush has a <em>boyfriend</em>.  She won't believe me if it's just me telling her!"</p><p>Yamaguchi's eyes lifted up when he heard the name, realizing who Hinata's sister was.  "Oh, Natsu-chan-"  Tsukishima hushed him quickly, smirking at Hinata's irked attitude and arguments while Bokut watched him confused and impatiently.  It was amusing and he wanted to see how it would play out which wouldn't work if Yamaguchi cleaned up the misunderstanding between them.  It would be fine to play around with Hinata just a little bit.</p><p>"Well, Yamaguchi can tell her himself.  He's a big boy," Bokuto chuckled, taking Hinata by the wrist and pulling him harder so they can get out of the pub.  "Now come on, Hinata, I said I would help you buy Kageyama's gift and now you're wasting time.  Daichi's gonna know something's up and then we'll both never see tomorow.  Please, <em>behave</em>."</p><p>Hinata looked like he was about to scream, glaring at both Yamaguchi and Tsukishima before letting out a sigh of defeat, turning around and storming out of Three Broomsticks leaving all three of them dumbfounded.</p><p>"Uh, anyway," Bokuto looked back at Tsukishima and Yamaguchi.  "You two also have to get back to school too soon, alright?  It'll be bad if we got caught, so I won't say anything, but really, get back before the headmaster catches all four of us."  Tsukishima and Yamaguchi nodded, waving as Bokuto left to follow Hinata.  They didn't say anything for a bit, just looking at the door minutes after Hinata and Bokuto left.</p><p>"Do you think we should just tell people we're a couple now?"  Yamaguchi asked, Tsukishima turning to look at him.  He pushed his glasses up, exhaling softly before smirking a bit.</p><p>"I think," Tsukishima started saying, looking back at the door.  "We should only tell the people we trust the most."  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. Boggarts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You've never deflected a Boggart before?"<br/>"No...I was always too scared so I ended up unsuccessful."</p><p>Nishinoya has taken all the time he had to focus on Asahi, making sure he was with him before his curfew was over, meeting him in the halls of in between classes and even trying to meet him in the morning to walk to breakfast together, but Asahi always woke up too late.  Nishinoya didn't think dating Asahi would have so many restrictions for the first months, originally planning to go on cute dates over the weekends and sneak into each other's dorms.  Asahi didn't want to break the rules though so they haven't done anything too risky just yet.</p><p>"Until now you haven't been able to deflect one?"  Nishinoya asked in awe, so used to having Asahi good at lots of things.  Even if he was scared, he always found it in him to excel because that was the kind of person Asahi was.  He was someone people could rely on when it really mattered - at least it was like this for Nishinoya.</p><p>"No.  It gets too overwhelming, so I just fail that part of the exams every year.  Professor Ukai makes me do it, thinking eventually I would be able to, but I feel like every year I just get worse," Asahi chuckled softly, scratching his head timidly.  "I still keep trying, and ever since I met one in the Forbidden Forest with Kuroo, I realized that I should really think about working harder to deflect it.  So I've been practising more, but it's still a little..."</p><p>Nishinoya nodded slowly, already [icturing Asahi quivering in fear seeing a Boggart considering that Asahi was scared of a lot of things.  It got him thinking, what was Asahi's <em>worst </em>fear?</p><p>"What does the Boggart turn into?"  Nishinoya asked, looking up at Asahi and watching his face tighten, probably thinking of it.  Nishinoya felt like he shouldn't have asked such a question.  But he was curious about it and wanted to be able to help Asahi, so knowing what the Boggart was was important.</p><p>"It's different every time, but it's quite similar each time," Asahi answered, looking back down at Nishinoya, giving him a small sad smile.  "Noya-kun is in trouble...but I'm never able to do anything."</p><p>Nishinoya gulped at his answer, feeling both happy and sad at such a confession.  If Nishinoya in danger was Asahi's biggest fear then he really must have a big place in Asahi's heart.  He wanted to squeal and cry at the same time, but instead held it in for now.  Asahi would have many other cute moments in the future, he was sure of it.</p><p>"But it's an illusion.  I know Asahi-san would save me if I was in trouble!  But I rarely get in any dangerously troubling situations.  I can handle myself, you know?"  Nishinoya smiled widely at Asahi reassuringly, patting his back.  Asahi just laughed, shrugging, but Nishinoya could tell he still didn't believe in himself that much.  It was easy to say he could do something, but being able to actually do it was a whole different story.</p><p>"What about you, Noya-kun?"  Asahi asked before Nishinoya could say anything else.  "You've done the exam before already, right?  What do you see when the Boggart comes to you?"</p><p>Nishinoya had to think about it, not being able to remember his exams that well since he's usually failed them.  Defense Against the Dark Arts was a fun class though, so he tried his best, but like many other classes, Nishinoya usually blew a bunch of things up.</p><p>"My Boggart last year..." Nishinoya hummed, thinking about it.  "I can't remember that well.  I deflected it before it was able to turn into anything."</p><p> </p><p>Nishinoya thought he was doing Asahi a favour.  Asahi deserved good grades for at least trying, right?  He was able to the impossible - get Nishinoya to pass a class.  Asahi deserved more than multiple attempts of Boggart deflecting, and Nishinoya was just the person to help him.<br/>Asahi has helped Nishinoya in more ways than studying these past few years that helping him with a Boggart was almost nothing.  In fact, Nishinoya wasn't even sure what his Boggart would've been ever since Asahi asked him.</p><p>He remembered in 3rd year, doing the exam for Defense Against the Dark Arts, the Boggart stepping out of the closet, standing in front of it confidently ready to deflect it, holding his wand out.  <br/>But the Boggart didn't really...do anything.  It just waved there, it's shadowy figure - Nishinoya thought it was broken.</p><p>Before it could really change into anything though, Nishinoya deflected it, saying the spell and waving his wand, easily getting rid of it by having it turn into fireworks, popping in the classroom, and naturally lit a few things on fire, but Nishinoya was able to pass that part of the exam.  <br/>How hard could it be for Asahi?  The Boggart wasn't <em>really </em>Nishinoya.</p><p>"Noya-kun, I really don't think-""Come on!  It'll be fine.  Trust me, you can do it!"  Nishinoya even pitched in to buy Asahi a new wand, gifting it to him and saying it was an 'early Christmas gift' (though he was ready to buy him an on time Christmas gift as well).</p><p>"Noya-kun, I don't want you to see it," Asahi said with a small voice, but Nishinoya had already pulled him into the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, asking professor Ukai if they could train for a bit.  As long as they were back to their towers before curfew, professor Ukai allowed them.</p><p>"You shouldn't be too worried, Asahi-san," Nishinoya grinned at him, running over to the big closet that contained the Boggart, pushing it with his small body to the middle of the classroom.  Asahi hesitated, but helped him.</p><p>"I really don't think this is a good idea, Noya-kun," Asahi whined softly, but Nishinoya pretended not to hear him, telling himself that this was a perfect way to help Asahi become even more brave, and maybe their relationship could progress even more.</p><p>It's not like Nishinoya hated the subtle hand holding or the forehead kisses.  He didn't hate Asahi's chocolates or his blushing face when Nishinoya pulled him down by the tie and demanded for a proper make out session.  He didn't hate the study dates or the quiet times they had together in the garden.<br/>Nishinoya didn't hate it at all.</p><p>However, ever since the last kiss when they reunited, they haven't been doing too many exciting things that Nishinoya was expecting.  Not that he wasn't excited when he was with Asahi - ah, maybe he wasn't too sure.<br/>It's just, nothing was making Nishinoya's body go <em>zing</em>.  He wanted his body to go <em>zing</em>.</p><p>So maybe deflecting a Boggart would boost up Asahi's confidence.  If he could get over his worst fear, then what was a little relationship worthy touching?</p><p>"I'm right here," Nishinoya reassured him, pushing Asahi back so he was in front of the closet, then went back to the closet, holding the handle, getting ready to open it.  He could see Asahi's face tightening up, anxiously looking at the closet, his breath quickening.  Nishinoya tried to smile at him to calm him down a little bit, trying to ease his nerves.</p><p>"Asahi-san," Nishinoya called out softly, getting Asahi's attention right away.  Nishinoya gave him a firm nod.  "I know you can do it."<br/>This seemed to even Asahi's breath out more, nodding his head back.  His shoulders relaxed, keeping his eyes on Nishinoya rather than the closet, and that was when Nishinoya opened the closet.</p><p> </p><p>"Asahi-san!  Asahi-san, look!  I learned this with Tanaka, isn't it cool?"  The Boggart Nishinoya flew around the classroom on his broom excitedly, trying to get Asahi's attention - and it was working.</p><p>Asahi couldn't look away from the Boggart Nishinoya, his eyes glued onto him as he flew to the ceiling, going to the other side of the room, doing different tricks on his broom like flying on his hands or standing up while flying.  Asahi gulped in nervousness, holding his wand out, waiting for it to happen.  He was waiting for Nishinoya to be struck down and killed.<br/>But this time, the real Nishinoya was there watching.</p><p>"Asahi-san!  Asahi-san, look-" A flash of light zapped through the room, striking Nishinoya right on the chest, taking him down.  Asahi flinched, his hand shaking now as the Boggart Nishinoya dropped to the ground, motionless.  Asahi let out a shaky breath, reminding himself that this was an illusion.  Nishinoya was right behind him, the <em>real </em>NIshinoya.</p><p>"Deep breaths," Nishinoya said from behind him, Asahi's breaths normalizing, focusing on the Boggart and doing his best to try and direct the spell.  It was difficult for him to get a grip, but this was the first time he didn't break down right away.</p><p>"<em>Ridd-Riddikulus!</em>"  He shouted, pointing his wand at Nishinoya, but at the last minute redirected his aim to one of the desks instead, the desk turning into a bush with flowers sprouting out.  Asahi let out a strangled groan, shaking his head and looking back at Nishinoya with a pained expression.</p><p>"Noya-kun, I can't-""You can, Asahi-san!  I know you can," Nishinoya cheered him on, holding a fist up at him in encouragement.  Asahi had to admit, this was the farthest he's gone with a Boggart.<br/>It didn't make it less terrifying though.</p><p>"Noya-kun, I can't aim a spell at you," Asahi explained, shrugging helplessly.  "It doesn't feel right.""But that's not me," Nishinoya reminded him bluntly, crossing his arms.  "That's not your boyfriend lying dead there, is it?"  Asahi's eyes widened as Nishinoya got more straightforward, not sugar coating it anymore.  Asahi couldn't tell if he was annoyed or getting impatient.<br/>Was he offended?</p><p>"Your boyfriend's right here," Nishinoya did a little wave at Asahi, then chuckled.  "Not that thing over there.  So do the spell to get rid of it, alright?"  Nishinoya motioned for Asahi to turn around, giving him a thumb's up.  "Come on, Asahi-san.  A wizard shouldn't be scared of something a spell can defeat."</p><p>Asahi let out another sigh, nodding his head slowly, turning around to look back at the Boggart Nishinoya, laying there lifeless, paling by the minute.  It was sickening to watch, Asahi wanted to look away.  But Nishinoya - his actual Nishinoya - was standing right there behind him.  He shouldn't feel the need to be scared right now, and should quickly get rid of the Boggart before something bad actually happened.  </p><p>With a deep breath Asahi lifted his wand up again, aiming it right at the Boggart Nishinoya's body.  He exhaled loudly, firming his hand up so he wouldn't shake, his eyes targeted on the Boggart.<br/>Not Nishinoya - the Boggart.</p><p>"<em>Riddikulus</em>!"</p><p> </p><p>When the Boggart is defeated by it's first target it tries to find a second.  In class, it would be the next person beside or next to the last target.  In this case, it was the other person in the room.<br/>Nishinoya was the next target.</p><p>And the Boggart turned into Asahi. </p><p>But not just Asahi.  There was a Slytherin girl with him - her name, Nishinoya didn't give two fucks - and they were holding hands.  It was a simple gesture, nothing too sensual or worrisome, just something that Asahi did with the person he dated.<br/>Which was what was even more scary.  It really reminded him of Asahi.</p><p>"Noya...kun?"  Asahi looked back at Nishinoya, seeing how his eyes were glued to Asahi and his ex-girlfriend, just standing with each other, laughing, acting sweet together and like a couple.  Originally, Nishinoya always thought if he were ever to see a scene like this again with Asahi and someone else, he would just get angry.  In fact he has gotten angry already, and if it weren't for Daichi and Kuroo stopping him he would've blown the school up much earlier.</p><p>Now that he was watching it though, he didn't feel angry.  It was a different feeling Nishinoya hasn't experienced enough, where his stomach tightened and the air got thinner.  His breathing turned shallow and everything in his vision blurred except for that very scene.  There was sweat dripping from his forehead and his palms were getting clammy despite not holding onto anything.</p><p>Nishinoya didn't feel scared.  He felt terrified.</p><p>"Noya-kun," the real Asahi got his attention for a moment, moving his head ever so slightly so he could see the real Asahi, looking at him worriedly.  "Noya-kun, that's not-""I know!"  Nishinoya exclaimed, quickly getting his wand out and aiming it to the Boggart Asahi, gritting his teeth.</p><p>"<em>Riddikulus</em>!"  Nishinoya yelled, the Boggart turning into two balloon animals, floating slowly up to the sky.  Nishinoya flicked his wrist, keeping the closet wide open so the stupid Boggart could get back inside, locking the closet up quickly.  He was still stunned, still unable to comprehend what just happened.  Nishinoya didn't think he was scared of anything before.</p><p>Was this even something to be afraid of though?  Because Asahi looked happy with another person.  As someone who loved him, isn't it natural to want them to be happy, even at the cost of your happiness?  Sure he was jealous and upset and would probably throw a tantrum because Asahi said he wanted Nishinoya and not some disgusting Slytherin girl.</p><p>But scared.  Scared of Asahi being happy with someone else?  Nishinoya never thought about it.</p><p>"Noya-kun-""Good job, Asahi-san," Nishinoya laughed, pulling the closet back to the corner where they found it, trying to avoid what just happened.  He could see the concerned expression on Asahi's face which made him feel even more stupid, but he wasn't in the mood to confront this feeling at all. <br/>This really was the first time the word 'fear' meant something to him.</p><p>"Noya-kun-""Come on.  I'll walk you to the Hufflepuff tower.  My curfew is almost up."  It wasn't even past 5 PM, quite some time before the Gryffindor curfew, but Nishinoya felt like spending time with someone else right now.  He couldn't watch Asahi's troubled expression like that for too long, especially after what just happened and witnessing what <em>exactly </em>troubled Asahi.</p><p>Asahi furrowed his eyebrows at Nishinoya, seeing how Nishinoya was avoiding his eyes.  Nishinoya walked past him, humming softly like nothing was wrong, but Asahi could see right through him.  He let Nishinoya pass him though, watching him walk to the door, waiting for Asahi to follow him.  Nishinoya wasn't looking back at him.</p><p>"Don't worry too much, Asahi-san," Nishinoya still wasn't looking at Asahi as he walked beside him, both of them looking down, Nishinoya at the ground and Asahi at Nishinoya.  This might be the first time Nishinoya wasn't telling Asahi what he was feeling.</p><p>"It was just a Boggart.  It wasn't like it was real."</p><p> </p><p>"I'm telling you, they were making out!  With <em>tongue</em>." </p><p>Breakfast at the Gryffindor table was usually loud and energetic, especially when Nishinoya, Tanaka, Hinata and Bokuto were together.  It seemed like today, Hinata was the one that was taking charge of the conversation topics.</p><p>"Kageyama, you believe me, right?"  Hinata whined desperately, shaking Kageyama a bit, making Kageyama glare at him when his food shook in his hands, groaning softly.  "Boke-""You believe me?  I saw them!"</p><p>Kageyama looked over at the Slytherin table, scowling when he saw Tsukishima calmly eating, people crowded around him, socializing even though Tsukishima wasn't exactly being open with them.  He huffed softly, narrowing his eyes annoyed at Tsukishima, looking away quickly.  </p><p>"The day someone loves Tsukishima is the same day the sun stops rising," Kageyama grimaced, shoving more food into his mouth and chewing aggressively while Hinata groaned in frustration.  <br/>"I'm telling you, they were making out!  Natsu-chan can't like Yamaguchi!  I swear, I saw it with my own two <em>eyes</em>!"  Hinata exclaimed, everyone just dismissing him by continuing to eat.  "No one believes me!""Maybe if you stop yelling in my ear I'd believe you, boke!"</p><p>Nishinoya stared down at his plate of breakfast, sighing softly every few minutes, picking at his food which was very unnatural.  Usually he would join in on the aggressive banters, instigating more fights and screaming with the rest of them randomly just to get some more noise at their table.  Today though, he just looked down.</p><p>"You're awfully quiet," Daichi finally noticed Nishinoya, who was sitting diagonally from him.  Nishinoya looked up, shrugging a bit, unable to deny it.  Pointing out Nishinoya's sudden silence got everyone else's attention as well, Bokuto and Kuroo looking over at him and Hinata and Kageyama stopping their arguing.  Tanaka even stopped ogling at the Ravenclaw table to focus on Nishinoya too. <br/>The sudden attention made Nishinoya perk up, unsure if any of them could help him, but it's not like keeping it to himself was any better.</p><p>"Is something wrong-""Asahi-san," Nishinoya answered immediately, both excited to talk about his favourite topic, but also wanting to get some advice.  "We worked with Boggarts together and he was able to deflect it.""Oh, that's good."  Kuroo commented proudly.  "So you saw his Boggart too?""Yeah..." Nishinoya sighed, resting his chin on his hand, putting his elbow on the table.</p><p>"But it's not his Boggart.  It's mine."</p><p>Everyone actually froze, stopping what they were doing, staring at Nishinoya.  This was the first time anyone had heard about Nishinoya having a Boggart, of course Nishinoya had talked loudly about how he's never seen his Boggart before and Tanaka hyping him up saying that he was a 'fearless lion' and 'had nothing to fear'.  So now that he had a Boggart after years of nothing, it shocked all of them.<br/>They were all curious about what Nishinoya's worst fear was.</p><p>"So..." Kageyama started off, wanting to know what the Boggart turned into, but wasn't sure if it was okay to ask.  "What was your Boggart?"  Hinata ended the question when Kageyama didn't finish it.</p><p>"My Boggart...is Asahi-san.  With his ex-girlfriend."</p><p>Again, everyone was silent, unsure how to respond to that.  It was a weird fear obviously, there was nothing virtually 'scary' about your boyfriend with their ex, though it was uncomfortable.  Nishinoya's worst fear could've been a serial killer, or maybe a human-eating monster, or a dementor or even a life without magic.  Nishinoya was a brave, daring, courageous wizard that stopped at nothing.  His Boggart should have matched his energy and been the most terrifying and horrid thing on the face of the planet.<br/>But Asahi with his ex?  Was that something to <em>fear</em>?</p><p>"Oh," Bokuto broke the silence, getting everyone to snap out of their stunned daze.  "That's...interesting."</p><p>It was clear that no one knew how to react, looking at each other.  "I mean, it's not like your Boggart, uh, what did your Boggart turn into exactly when you deflected it?"</p><p>Nishinoya sighed loudly, shaking his head.  "That's not the problem," he stirred the focus to the real problem at hand.  "Asahi-san saw it.  But that's not even it either," Nishinoya explained.  "To have something like that as a fear.  Really, I don't feel scared when I see it.  It's more like I'm jealous?  That's obvious though, who would want to see something like that!"</p><p>They were all thinking of something to say, wondering if they should comfort him or tell him what he should do.  They didn't really see it as a problem, but more of a shocking revolution.</p><p>"I don't think it's Asahi being with his ex that's your worst fear," Kuroo said, making Nishinoya even more confused because that was literally his Boggart and Nishinoya didn't go against magical creatures.  But breakfast was ending and the bell was going off, signalling the students that they needed to start getting read for class.  Nishinoya didn't have time to ask what he meant, all of them standing up as the food on the table dissolved away.</p><p>"Don't think about it too much, Noya," Daichi ruffled his hair, giving him an encouraging smile.  "It's probably not as big of a deal as it seems."</p><p> </p><p>Library dates were fine.  Nishinoya didn't hate them, but Asahi seemed to be a slut for them.  Next to hanging out in the garden, Asahi always finds something just a little more interesting than Nishinoya and focuses his attention towards that, and even though it was a little irritating, Nishinoya couldn't help but stare.</p><p>Maybe it was the smile.  The way Asahi lit up when he found an interesting book, diving into it right away.  His reactions were always shown, gasping at the shocking parts and tearing up when it got a little emotional.  <br/>Maybe it was his focus.  The way Asahi furrowed his eyebrows as he looked closely at the words, burying his nose into the novel so Nishinoya could only see his eyes intensely staring at the pages.<br/>Or maybe it was the after, when Asahi had just read something that made him overwhelmed with emotion and his first instinct was to show it to Nishinoya, gushing about why a certain quote or paraphrase was powerful enough to move mountains.  It reminded Nishinoya that Asahi's first thought would be him, in happiness, in fear and in worry.</p><p>"Asahi-san," Nishinoya called out, getting Asahi's attention, his gentle face smiling at him as he put his book down.  Nishinoya felt his heart thump abnormally, a cold wind passing his neck making him shiver.</p><p>"Yes, Noya-kun?"  Nishinoya didn't realize how nice Asahi's voice was.  He wondered how else Asahi's voice could sound like - whispering in his ear, singing him a lullaby, shouting his love for Nishinoya or moaning his name in the sheets.  <br/>These thoughts were slowly getting more concerning.</p><p>"Oh, uh, I was just wondering," Nishinoya mumbled, clearing his throat as he straightened his postured, trying to look at Asahi seriously, but when he looked in his eyes he couldn't help but melt.  <br/>"I was wondering, before me, you've only dated girls.  Right?"</p><p>Asahi's eyes widened, clearing his throat awkwardly, closing his book and resting his hands on the table.  After Nishinoya's Boggart, he didn't want to bring it up and upset Nishinoya.  It was his first time dating someone that Asahi actually saw a future with, so talking about exes was a first, but this did seem like an important conversation as well, so he didn't want to avoid it if Nishinoya was bringing it up.</p><p>"That's right," Asahi nodded slowly.  "But what I feel for you is completely different.  I hope you know that."</p><p>Nishinoya gulped, feeling his collar tightening, nodding back at him.  Accusing Asahi - who did he think he was?  Asahi wouldn't leave him so easily for such a shallow reason, right?  Asahi was the last person who would judge a person based on looks.</p><p>"Is this about the Boggart?"  Asahi asked softly, making Nishinoya's eyes widened.  Asahi could probably see his expression starting to get worried, because now Asahi was getting worried as well.  Nishinoya shook his head quickly, protesting right away.</p><p>"I-It's not like that!  It's just..." Nishinoya still couldn't explain his Boggart properly, not being able to pinpoint the legitimate reason why Asahi with his ex was his worst fear.  However, the Boggart transformed that way, so it wasn't like it was inaccurate.</p><p>"It's been on my mind since then.  And now I'm wondering," Nishinoya shrugged.  "I don't know, I guess, do you really like boys?  Or did I just bother you long enough to make you mine."  Nishinoya laughed it off, but Asahi was still looking at him concerned, pursing his lips.  He wasn't used to watching Nishinoya get troubled over something, so he wasn't too sure what to do, but he didn't want Nishinoya to be like this and have useless thoughts running through his mind all day.  It might make Nishinoya react scarily.</p><p>"Noya-kun," Asahi said in a soft voice, reaching out to take Nishinoya's hand.  "You know, those relationships I was in never lasted long.  But with you, it's different."  Asahi reassured Nishinoya, but Nishinoya's face wasn't changing.<br/>"What I'm saying is," Asahi continued, wanting to ease Nishinoya's mind.  "I really, really like you.  Over anyone else, I like only you.  So don't think about anyone else, especially if they make you worried, alright?  It's scares me seeing you like that."</p><p>Nishinoya looked at Asahi, his expression softening as Asahi was trying to hearten him.  It was working, especially when Asahi ended it off with a smile, but he couldn't help but think of the Boggart as well.</p><p>His worst fear wasn't Asahi being happy happy with someone else.  It was him being taken away?</p><p>"Asahi-san," Nishinoya intertwined their fingers together, squeezing Asahi's hand before lifting it up to his lips to kiss it.  Asahi was blushing, but he didn't protest, which was good progress considering they were in a public setting.</p><p>"I think I understand a little bit now.  Why someone would need to be worried about a few things in life."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Games</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"<em>Uom idinchiap ot osip etrap espelke ot uop omota ot aratak i</em>."</p><p>Kenma had candles positioned in the middle of the dorm shaped in a pentagon star, sitting cross legged in front of it, folding his hands together and closing his eyes.  He was chanting the phrase, over and over again, focusing on his breathing and his stillness.  His concentration was burning with the candles as his chants went from softly under his breath to a normal talking voice.  <br/>
He could feel it.  The air was getting colder.  He was succeeding.</p><p>"Kenma?"</p><p>Kenma's eyes snapped open, whipping his head and glaring at whoever it was who was interrupting him, but his face softened when he saw it was just Kuroo. <br/>
Kuroo.<br/>
He gasped realizing that it was <em>Kuroo</em>, right here in his dorm.</p><p>"Kuroo?"  Kenma stood up, walking quickly over to him, looking behind Kuroo to see if anyone saw him walk in.  It was just after dinner on Sunday, everyone else staying at the dining room to have dessert but Kenma left early so he could have time alone.  He quickly pulled Kuroo in his room, closing the door.</p><p>"What are you doing-""What are <em>you </em>doing?"  Kuroo asked before Kenma could ask what he was doing in the Ravenclaw tower.  His eyes were at the candles on the ground, positioned oddly that Kuroo couldn't help but shiver.  "Are you..."  Kenma puffed his cheeks out, going on the ground to blow the candles out, getting rid of them quickly.  Out of all people to catch him it just had to be Kuroo.</p><p>"Were you summoning a demon?"</p><p>Kenma pretended like he couldn't hear, putting away all of the candles in his drawers before turning around back to Kuroo, innocently walking over to his bed and sitting down, patting the spot beside him so Kuroo could sit next to him.  The sudden intrusion was surprising but not unwelcome.  </p><p>"How did you get here so easily?  You have to solve a riddle," Kenma asked, trying to change the topic, watching as Kuroo sat beside him.  Kuroo grinned proudly, leaning back on Kenma's bed and laying down.</p><p>"So?  The riddle wasn't even that hard," Kuroo said cockily, chuckling when Kenma just stared at him.  It wasn't too uncommon for Kuroo to come to the Ravenclaw tower, and in fact has visited Kenma quite a bit before they started dating.<br/>
But back then Kenma would take him outside so that they wouldn't disturb the other Ravenclaws and get kicked out.  This might be the first time Kuroo was in Kenma's dormitory.</p><p>How did Kuroo know where his room was?</p><p>"It's hard for us to have time alone.  Thought I would visit you," Kuroo shrugged, putting his hands behind his head, looking like he was relaxing on Kenma's bed.  "Why?  You don't want me here?""I never said that," Kenma mumbled back, keeping his eyes on Kuroo.  They traveled from Kuroo's face, his lips that were slightly parted as he closed his eyes, going down to Kuroo's neck that had his tie loosened around it, showing off some of his collar bone, then to Kuroo's chest, lifting up and down slowly as his breathing evened out, finally darting right down straight to Kuroo's thighs.  Kenma gulped.</p><p>"What're you looking at?"  Kenma could hear the smugness in Kuroo's voice, looking back up to see Kuroo smirking at him.  All of a sudden there was an itch in his throat and the room got a lot smaller.  </p><p>"Kenma, are you secretly a perv-""Kuroo, let's have sex."</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo could feel his brain slowing down, sitting up in a second when Kenma suggested something that Kuroo was just joking about.  He choked on his spit, coughing violently making Kenma widen his eyes, patting his back to help Kuroo stop choking, but Kuroo couldn't even look at Kenma properly, not even sure if he heard him properly.</p><p>"Wh-What?"  Kuroo rubbed his throat, swallowing his spit and calming down.  Kenma rubbed his back, looking at Kuroo with more concern rather than his straight face so it sort of made him feel guilty, but Kuroo couldn't help it.  He was taken off guard.</p><p>"Are you okay?"  Kenma asked, but Kuroo wasn't finished processing what Kenma suggested.  "Kuroo?  Are you okay?"  Kenma asked again when Kuroo didn't answer the first time.  Kuroo nodded his head slowly, turning his body to face Kenma properly.</p><p>"Kenma, you just....what did you just say?  Just now, what did you just say?"  Kuroo watched Kenma's face, waiting for him to blush or get flustered but Kenma didn't even flinch.</p><p>"I said 'let's have sex'," Kenma repeated, making Kuroo flinch a bit at how easily he said it.  The gears in his head were spinning, there was basically smoke coming out of him, trying to form a coherent sentence and a proper thought.  <br/>
Sex with Kenma.  Kuroo and Kenma having sex.  Of course he's thought about it before, but he's never thought that it would happen so fast and he certainly did <em>not </em>expect Kenma to be the one bringing it up.  </p><p>Kuroo had fantasies of Kenma and his first time (he was a normal, healthy teenage boy after all).  Kuroo would grab Kenma roughly, pushing him on the bed or against the wall, then start a very passionate make out session.  Kenma would ask Kuroo what he was doing and Kuroo would just smirk and say some sly line to make Kenma blush.  Then Kenma would be left speechless, trying to get Kuroo to slow down, but Kuroo would go at a rough pace, taking the lead and making Kenma feel a different type of way that only Kuroo could do.<br/>
Seeing Kenma flushed, embarrassed, red and shy.  That was how Kuroo pictured it.</p><p>"I want to have sex with Kuroo.  Can you not hear me?"  </p><p>Kuroo was the one who was flushing, covering his mouth as Kenma's expression didn't change.  It was making Kuroo even more embarrassed that Kenma wasn't getting hot and bothered thinking about it.  Was it even a sensual thought to him?</p><p>"Ho-How did this thought come to you?"  Kuroo asked, Kenma shrugging at first.  "I mean, I just wanted to get intimate with Kuroo.  You haven't thought about it?""Of course I have!"  Kuroo said almost immediately.  He couldn't believe their first conversation about sex was going like this.  "Then what's the problem?"  Kenma asked as a follow up question, tilting his head to the side a bit like a curious cat that it made Kuroo feel very conflicted.</p><p>"Problem..." Kuroo repeated softly, then shook his head trying to snap back to reality.  "It's-It's not that there's a problem!  I mean, uh, do you even know how to do it with a guy?"</p><p>This question seemed to get Kenma's attention, watching as Kenma started to think about it, and by the looks of it he was thinking hard.  "I do.  You...go inside me-""Do you know where?"  Kuroo asked, leaning forward so their faces were closer to each other, Kenma looking straight at him.  "Do you know where I go inside you?"  </p><p>Again, Kenma seemed to be thinking, nodding slowly.  "Yes.  In my ass..." Kenma trailed off unsurely, looking at Kuroo with a more questioning look.  "Right?"</p><p>Kuroo sighed softly, rubbing his eyes and holding in a groan.  He guessed he was glad that Kenma knew more than he thought, so at least he wasn't completely clueless when they did it for the first time.<br/>
Still, he didn't think that Kenma knew how to have gay sex.  Did he research it?  Was he really that interested in sex?  Possibly he's talked about it with someone?</p><p>"I can also put you in my mouth, right?"  Kenma brought it up like it was nothing and it was making Kuroo short circuit again.  "Uh, I mean-""You have to stretch me first, right?  That's how it works?  I'm pretty sure I'm right,"  Kenma kept going, but Kuroo wasn't sure he could keep up.   "You-You're not wrong, but-""And there's my prostate you can hit and it's supposed to feel like electricity down my spine.  Of course, I don't know what that feels like.  I don't even know what a climax feels like, but-""Wait!"  Kuroo had to stop him before the conversation got out of hand and Kuroo's whole body turned red.  Kenma stopped talking, but he looked a little confused.</p><p>"Am I...wrong?""It's not that," Kuroo shook his head, sighing softly before looking at Kenma properly again and scooting closer.  He took Kenma's hands in his, obviously having this as a very important conversation for them.</p><p>"How," Kuroo started off, trying to think about where to even start with his questions.  "How did you even learn all of that?""Akaashi brought a magazine from a muggle shopping centre.  It explained how boys do it."  Kenma explained.  Kuroo groaned softly, knowing that Akaashi probably bought it when him and Bokuto took Akaashi to the muggle world and showed him places Bokuto and Kuroo would hang out at. <br/>
Akaashi was to blame for this then.</p><p>"Okay...and all the things you've mentioned," Kuroo continued on, watching as Kenma's confused expression relaxed, going back to his straight face.  "You want to do those things?"  Kenma didn't answer for a moment, but Kuroo could see him thinking about it.  After about a minute, Kenma nodded slowly.  <br/>
"If it's with Kuroo, then I want to do it all."</p><p>Kuroo's stomach did a flip.  Even though Kenma's expression was the same, not showing any signs of awkwardness or embarrassment, he realized that Kenma must have actually thought this through.  He did research, figured things out, probably had to imagine it too.  Kenma probably was prepared for this conversation too.  Kuroo couldn't get mad at that.</p><p>"Okay," Kuroo said nodding his head, and surprisingly, Kenma perked up.  "Really?""Yeah.  But not now."  Kenma's face visibly dropped, frowning even more.  "Why not?"</p><p>Like on command, Akaashi stepped in the room, gasping softly when he saw Kuroo there but then quickly relaxed when he realized it was just Kuroo.  Kenma and Kuroo both looked at him, then looked at the time, realizing that dinner was over a while ago and students were probably coming in now.  Kuroo and Kenma had to stop, especially with Gryffindor's new curfew.</p><p>"Another time," Kuroo promised, standing up and giving Kenma a kiss on the forehead before walking to the door, smiling at Akaashi.  "Thanks, Akaashi," he leaned into Akaashi's ear, whispering to him.  "But also, fuck you."</p><p>Kuroo left leaving Akaashi confused but Kenma was watching him go, sighing loudly before flopping on his bed.  Akaashi watched as Kenma covered his face with a pillow, going over and sitting next to him.</p><p>"You guys finally talked about it?"  Kenma nodded under the pillow.  "And?"  Kenma was quiet for a bit, pulling the pillow down so Akaashi could now only see his eyes.</p><p>"I think...Kuroo doesn't think I know how sex works."</p><p> </p><p>After quite a few days of only short meetings after classes, quick kisses before going to bed and letters that were sent by owl (courtesy of Bokuto) they haven't talked about sex in a while, and Kuroo was starting to think it was his fault.</p><p>It wasn't like he was expecting Kenma to know so much though.  Kuroo thought he would be the one to ruin Kenma's innocence, not some dumb magazine Akaashi bought because he was a curious teenager and thought Bokuto wanted to do something soon.  Kuroo thought he would be the one to teach Kenma everything, and together they could learn what they needed to know, their beginning process being filled with clumsy mistakes, awkward tensions and cringe worthy moments that they could laugh about in their 20s. <br/>
Surely there would be inexperience between the two of them and moments of hesitation and unfamiliar-ness, but now knowing that both Kenma and him knew the technicalities, it sort of ruined the mysteriousness that Kuroo was excited for.</p><p>"Hey, Asahi," Kuroo grumbled softly, the two of them sitting together during Transfiguration class.  Usually Kuroo and Bokuto sat together, but this class Bokuto and Daichi sat together in the middle of the class while Kuroo and Asahi started sitting in the front together ever since they came back to Hogwarts.  Kuroo realized Asahi was good at studying too, and Bokuto really needed his grades to go up and Kuroo wasn't the greatest tutor for him.</p><p>"Yes?""Do you know how to have gay sex?" </p><p>Asahi's cheeks heated up, widening his eyes at the sudden question.  See, that was the reaction Kuroo was expecting from Kenma - flustered and cute.  Not that he wanted Kenma to be Asahi, but he was definitely more ready for this than the reality.</p><p>"Do you?"  Kuroo asked again, more urgently making Asahi whine in embarrassment, covering his cheeks.  "Why-Why are you asking me that?""Because," Kuroo groaned, leaning his head on the desk, sighing loudly.  He was more prepared for Asahi's response to this question than he was for Kenma's.</p><p>"I...guess?"  Asahi answered, his whole face getting red, covering his whole face now.  Kuroo chuckled at Asahi, not believing they were the same age right now, but then again Asahi was a lot more timid than maybe any other 5th year.  Nishinoya would have a lot of fun, Kuroo was just a little jealous.  </p><p>"It's not like I've tried it yet," Asahi added softly then whined, shaking his head.  "Why are we talking about this?  Isn't this an embarrassing question?"  Kuroo hummed, turning his head forward, his chin resting on the desk, puckering his lips in a bit of annoyance.  It wasn't an embarrassing topic to him, but it was supposed to be for Kenma.  And even though originally Kuroo didn't feel shy about sex, but when Kenma talked about it so openly it did make him lose his shamelessness a bit.</p><p>"It is, isn't it?"  Kuroo sighed, scratching his head hard and then groaning louder, shaking his head thinking about this even more.  Was he just over thinking this?  Did it really matter that Kenma knew more things than Kuroo thought?  It shouldn't matter, right?</p><p>"I should study though," Kuroo could hear Asahi mumbling beside him, now getting into his own thoughts.  "It's a bit embarrassing if Noya-kun knows what's happening and I don't."</p><p>This got Kuroo's attention, perking up and looking over at Asahi again.  "What?"  Asahi looked over at him, chuckling nervously, scratching the back of his head.  "Oh, did you hear me?  Ah, I was just saying, you know, Noya-kun seems like the type to know these sort of things.  Won't it be weird if I don't know what to do?  I don't want his first time to be filled with awkwardness just because I don't know what I'm doing."  Kuroo kept looking at him, processing Asahi's perspective on it.  Is that really how Asahi saw it?</p><p>"Because Noya-kun feeling good is important to me more than my comfort zone.  So I'm willing to go through that sort of embarrassment for him."</p><p> </p><p>"Who am I meeting again?"<br/>
"Someone very important me."</p><p>Kuroo was following Kenma to the back of the Ravenclaw tower, knowing who Kenma wanted to show him, but Kenma didn't know Kuroo knew.  Which was what made Kuroo feel a little more guilty than he already was.</p><p>Now they were sitting outside the Ravenclaw tower, the empty box with a blanket in it untouched still.  Kenma brought slices of bread he stole from lunch that day, telling Kuroo it was necessary.  But now it's been almost an hour and Kenma's special guest still hasn't come.</p><p>"I think he's mad at me," Kenma grumbled under his breath, looking around the bushes and trees for the 20th time that hour, sighing softly.  "It's my fault though.  I left him for a few days.  He's a stray cat so he doesn't have a home, so I understand he doesn't want to visit sometimes.  But this might be the longest I've went without seeing him."</p><p>Kuroo felt a weird twist in his stomach, coughing awkwardly as he saw Kenma's face sadden.  It would be even more awkward to transform now considering the amount of opportunities he's had so far, and his plan was to tell Kenma in a fun way, not with this depressing mood they had right now.  Kenma put the bread in the box though, leaving it just in case Tetsurou came later.</p><p>"He's probably just finding somewhere to get warm," Kuroo said reassuringly, petting Kenma's hair, but the two of them still sat there for a little while longer.  This was probably the first time since Kuroo got into the Ravenclaw tower that him and Kenma were alone, but Kenma was so excited to show him Tetsurou that they didn't have time to talk about anything else.  </p><p>"This cat must be important to you," Kuroo mused, Kenma nodding right away at the assumption.  "He's not only important.  He's special," Kenma mumbled, hugging his knees to his chest, sighing softly as he wrapped his arms around his legs.</p><p>"He looks like Kuroo."</p><p>Kuroo gulped, feeling like the cold air outside was chilling his whole body, but the statement made him melt inside and out.  When Kenma had cute sides like these he wanted to kiss him so hard that he would knock out, but always managed to control himself before things got out of hand.  <br/>
But nowadays, Kuroo was wondering if that was even necessary.</p><p>"I should start going inside," Kuroo said, standing up, leaning down to give Kenma a kiss on his forehead.  "Gryffindor's curfew is coming up.  Don't wanna die by the hands of Daichi.""That wouldn't be good."  Kenma leaned his head up, Kuroo chuckling knowing what that meant.</p><p>He leaned down, pressing his lips against Kenma's, moving his lips slowly against him.  It wasn't suppose to get as hot as it did, Kenma opening his mouth and holding the back Kuroo's neck, pulling him closer.  Kuroo hummed against his lips, his eyes snapping open as Kenma got more bold.  Kuroo needed to pull away quickly before he got a very awkward boner and ruined the whole thing.</p><p>"Did you hate it?"  Kenma asked immediately after Kuroo pulled away, Kuroo shaking his head as he found the breaths he lost after a kiss like that.  "N-No, it's just, uh," Kuroo cleared his throat, hating how flustered he was getting.  "We're outside, Kenma."</p><p>Kenma had to look around, remembering their surroundings before nodding shortly.  "Right."</p><p>Kuroo cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck before hesitantly kissing the top of Kenma's hair.  "I'll be going now, okay?  I'll see you later."</p><p> </p><p>Kenma being alone wasn't an unusual thing.  He definitely preferred it to a huge crowd of people.  But now that he was alone after Kuroo was just keeping him company, there was an unusual empty feeling he was experiencing that he's only ever felt since Kuroo and him started to date.  It was weird, he felt like everything in his stomach was churning in the wrong direction and his heart was going to drop in it soon.</p><p>If Tetsurou was there it would be much better.</p><p>The familiar rustling in the bushes would've made Kenma perk up, looking over right away.  When the familiar black cat came out, the same tuffs of hair on the top of it's head that looked like Kuroo's bedhead, his tail swishing around as it walked, Kenma gasped, running over to Tetsurou and picking him up.</p><p>"Tetsurou!"  Kenma exclaimed, petting the top of his head, the cat responding with a loud purr, nuzzling into Kenma's hands.  "I thought you were upset with me."  Kenma let the cat cuddle close to him, hugging him to his chest, kissing the top of Tetsurou's head and warming him up.  Of course he's wondered if other kids at the school were feeding him to because even though it looked like Tetsurou didn't have an owner, it seemed like he was quite well fed and healthy.  Sometimes he wondered if Tetsurou actually did have an owner, he just visited Kenma when it counted.</p><p>"Come on.  Kuroo might still be in the hallways."</p><p>Kenma was shocked when Tetsurou was easy to bring in the building since his previous attempts involved fighting with Tetsurou and basically dragging him inside no matter how many times he explained that inside was better than outside.  Tetsurou was cooperating today so that meant this was a sign Kenma should be introducing him to Kuroo.</p><p>But Kenma didn't see Kuroo in the hallway.  He made it to the Gryffindor tower right when their curfew started, Tetsurou clutched to his chest.  Kuroo was probably inside, so Kenma knocked on the door.  The portrait guarding the door just laughed at him obnoxiously.</p><p>"You think it's that easy?  Try again, kiddie," the portrait laughed, fanning herself proudly.  Kenma wanted to retort something back, but he didn't want to get on the portrait's nerves and accidentally never be able to enter the Gryffindor tower ever again.  Instead he just stared at her dead for a few seconds before turning around and sitting on the stairs of the Gryffindor tower, waiting for someone to come up or to open the door.</p><p>"He'll come," Kenma told Tetsurou, petting between his ears making Tetsurou purr again.  Kenma managed to smile small at the cat, kissing his nose.  "He'll love you, I know it.  Maybe he'll be a little jealous too."</p><p>Kenma placed Tetsurou on his his lap, watching as the cat stretched it's body, lazily laying down on Kenma, looking like he was about to go to sleep.  He stroked Tetsurou's back, enjoying the feeling of his soft fur which was surprisingly well maintained.  It was weird, but it even reminded him of the feeling of Kuroo's hair.<br/>
Kenma wondered if this was the real definition of 'whipped'.  </p><p>"Kenma!"  Hinata said called out excitedly, running up the stairs and smiling widely at Kenma, Kenma smiling back and waving.  "Oh, hello Tetsurou," Hinata waved, not trying to pet him again.  "What're you two doing out here?""Waiting for Kuroo.  I want him to meet Tetsurou," Kenma told Hinata, hoping Hinata would open the door for him.  Hinata nodded excitedly.</p><p>"That sounds fun!  I have to say, Kenma, after all this time, you being able to get this far with Kuroo-san, it really is quite-" All of a sudden Tetsurou jumped off of Kenma's lap making them both flinch, Hinata screaming in surprise.  Tetsurou ran down the stairs and down the hallway, too fast and too sudden for Kenma to catch him.  Kenma groaned in frustration, hitting the top of his head for not being fast enough.</p><p>"Dammit," Kenma cursed, watching as Tetsurou disappeared from his sight, rolling his eyes.  He was so close this time, keeping Tetsurou indoors.  Because he was careless Tetsurou managed to get away.<br/>
He felt even worse now.</p><p>"Man, he really hates anyone else but you, huh?"  Hinata commented, also looking to the direction Tetsurou ran off too, Kenma sighing loudly and nodding.  It did make him feel nice that Tetsurou favoured him, but he really wanted to see Tetsurou and Kuroo together too.  Kuroo seemed like he would be good with cats.</p><p>"By the way, were those candles okay?"  Hinata asked, remembering a week ago Kenma suddenly asked Hinata if he had any extra unscented candles in the Gryffindor tower.  Hinata gave him a bunch.</p><p>"Yeah, they were perfect.  They didn't work though," Kenma grumbled, walking down the stairs already leaving Hinata a little confused but Kenma was already at the bottom of the steps.  "Night, Shouyou."</p><p> </p><p>"Kenma, did you do your weird candle thing again?"  Akaashi hissed at Kenma when Kenma returned to the dorms.  No one else was back yet except them so it was hard to pretend like he didn't hear anything.</p><p>"You're a wizard, Kenma.  You don't need to summon a demon," Akaashi groaned, taking all the candles out of the drawer, having them overflow so now Akaashi had to remove his textbooks.  Kenma just went to his bed, flopping down face first.  Akaashi noticed he was a little off, letting Kenma willow in silence for a bit before Kenma let out a loud, disgruntled groan, muffled by the pillow.</p><p>"I'm not good with confrontation," Kenma mumbled into the pillow, but Akaashi heard it.  He put the candles under Kenma's bed instead before putting his text books in their rightful place in their shared drawer.  Akaashi just sighed loudly, shaking his head.</p><p>"Yeah, well, I don't like that you're lighting candles every night.  I can smell the smoke.""That's why I got unscented."  Kenma quickly retorted.  The candles were almost out, Kenma having been doing his little ceremony almost every night ever since they've came back.  Akaashi didn't ask questions at first, but now he was getting worried for Kenma's well being.</p><p>"Why're you doing this again?"</p><p>Kenma was quiet for a moment, staying face planted in his pillow, not moving.  Akaashi could've been fooled that he died.  </p><p>Akaashi didn't push for any answers, going to his own bed and glancing at Kenma every once in a while to make sure he was still breathing, believing that Kenma would figure out what he needs to figure out before it's too late and he <em>actually</em> summons a demon whether or not it was intentional (at this point Akaashi was very sure it was intentional).</p><p>"My game," Kenma grumbled, turning his head so he was facing Akaashi now, his eyes half closed as he looked at him.  Akaashi raised an eyebrow, indicating that he still had no idea what he was talking about.</p><p>"Game?""I want my game back.  But I don't know how to ask the head of the house."  Akaashi didn't know if he wanted to laugh or feel bad for Kenma.  He stared at him, his mouth opening slightly, wanting to say something but no words were coming out of his mouth.</p><p>"Just ask 'have you seen my game?'""If it were that easy I would've done it by now," Kenma sighed loudly, turning his head back into the pillow, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to think of something other than Tetsurou running away from him.</p><p>"Besides," Kenma murmured, unsure if Akaashi could still hear him.  "Whoever took my game deserves to be attacked by a demon anyway."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0041"><h2>41. Changes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Oikawa was being different.  Iwaizumi didn't know what to do.</p><p>He was still clingy and affectionate, always calling for Iwaizumi often and following him most of the time.  He was still cheerful, smiling at Iwaizumi, sassing at anyone who crossed him and acting spoiled like his normal self.<br/>
Most of the time.</p><p>"Oikawa, I'm going to go in first."<br/>
"Oh, okay.  I'll come in after."</p><p>Iwaizumi stood still, watching as Oikawa was finishing his cleaning up his section of the Quidditch stadium, not looking back at Iwaizumi.  Not telling him to stay or whining that Iwaizumi had to wait for him too.  He didn't ask for help, he didn't stop what he was doing to go with Iwaizumi, he didn't even pout.  He went back to his section, working diligently on his own.<br/>
Iwaizumi nodded slowly, turning around and going back inside the school without saying anything else.</p><p>"Oikawa, where are you going?  We have a curfew."<br/>
"Bokuto said he was going to meet me by the library to give me something.  I'll be back quickly."</p><p>This might be the first time in all their life Oikawa has said another person's name besides 'Iwa-chan' without disgust in his voice.  It made Iwaizumi furrow his eyebrows, watching Oikawa's back as he left their dormitory, not fast enough to stop him.  He wanted to tell him to come back or else they'll all get in trouble, maybe hit him a few times too.  Instead, he let him go, trusting that he'll come back without getting caught.</p><p>It wasn't weird for Oikawa to have other friends.  Iwaizumi thought it was healthy.  It's just, he didn't think he was going to live long enough to see Oikawa think that too.  Iwaizumi ended up not having 'friends' but friendly acquaintances and he also thought Oikawa was the same.<br/>
It seemed that Oikawa was branching out too, so Iwaizumi needs to respect that.</p><p>"Oikawa, you're going to bed early?"<br/>
"Yeah, I'm kinda tired.  Good night, Iwa-chan."</p><p>Oikawa hasn't been crawling into Iwaizumi's bed lately, even though Oikawa was so pushy each year, wanting to cuddle up to Iwaizumi as much as possible.  Usually Iwaizumi would push him off or sigh very loudly to show that he was annoyed with Oikawa, but nothing has stopped him until now.  <br/>
Iwaizumi watched Oikawa's back as he laid on his side, back to Iwaizumi, looking like he actually going to sleep.  Sure, it was dark outside.  Sure, there wasn't much to do.  But Oikawa wasn't even pestering Iwaizumi a little bit before bed, not begging to sleep beside Oikawa, not even really talking in general.  <br/>
Should this be concerning Iwaizumi as much as it did?</p><p>"Good night, Oikawa."</p><p> </p><p>"Iwaizumi-san, please read the next paragraph."  Iwaizumi stood up at his desk with the book in front of him, reading what he was told to read even though he knew no one was paying attention in class.</p><p>Oikawa and him still sat together in class of course.  Iwaizumi didn't think any of it, him and Oikawa still working together, partnering up and helping each other out (more like Iwaizumi helping Oikawa out).  <br/>
Iwaizum finished the paragraph, sitting back down.</p><p>"Who would like to read next?"  Surprisingly Oikawa raised his hand, which usually he never really did, not participating too much in class unless Iwaizumi was the one to force or drag him.  He watched as Oikawa stood up, reading out the next part, quite out of character if Iwaizumi examined him properly.  There was something rather...off.<br/>
Oikawa usually didn't care about studying all that much, but he wasn't stupid either.  He just never thought to try as hard unless it was Iwaizumi pushing him.  He believed it was ever since Oikawa made the Amortentia that he started paying less attention in class and more on Quidditch and Iwaizumi.</p><p>Nowadays though, Iwaizumi noticed more dedication Oikawa was putting into school.  How his test scores were going up, how he participated more in class, how he was reading a lot more - even though the progression was slow, Iwaizumi saw it.</p><p>"Are you thinking about working for the Ministry?"  Iwaizumi asked, the two of them in the common room studying together, which surprisingly Oikawa suggested and even more surprising, meant it.  They didn't talk much and focused on their books, no usual banter that Iwaizumi was used.</p><p>"Hm?  Why do you ask?"  Oikawa asked, lifting his head from his book.  Iwaizumi shrugged, not wanting to offend Oikawa with a 'you've been better at school recently' sort of comment.</p><p>"You're taking things more seriously," Iwaizumi finally pointed out, after weeks of watching Oikawa trying harder with his studies.  "I don't think I've ever seen you so invested in a book before."</p><p>It was the usual sarcastic comment, one where Oikawa would whine about how Iwaizumi didn't have to be so mean.  Iwaizumi was pretty much expecting the same thing, waiting to hear Oikawa say something like 'Are you calling me stupid?  Mean Iwa-chan!'</p><p>"Ah, well," Oikawa chuckled, shrugging at Iwaizumi, his bright smile back on his face making Iwaizumi gulp.  "Iwa-chan studies hard.  I want to be on the same level as you."</p><p>At this, Iwaizumi furrowed his eyebrows, unsure what Oikawa meant by that, but he didn't get the chance to ask.  "Besides, we only have 2 more years of school left.  I don't want to be the dumb senior, you know?"  Oikawa laughed before going back into his textbook, writing down notes that actually looked legit, not that 'Iwa-chan + Tooru' shit Iwaizumi always hit him for.  <br/>
Did Oikawa think he was dumb?</p><p>"But you're smart," Iwaizumi blurted out, catching both of them by surprise.  Oikawa looked up, raising his eyebrows, Iwaizumi was sure he was going to get teased or make Oikawa scream.<br/>
He did neither.</p><p>"Thank you, Iwa-chan," Oikawa smiled at him, but Iwaizumi felt like there was something off he couldn't quite put his finger on.  "That motivates me a lot more!"</p><p> </p><p>Not having their wands was a big problem when they came back, however they managed and Oikawa's dad sent them new ones a few days after the school sent letters to the parents explaining what happened.  That meant their wands were completely different now too.</p><p>"It's different," Iwaizumi noted, swishing his wands around to try it out and make sure that the wands suited him.  Oikawa's dad said it was just temporary before they could buy one again in the summer, but this wand didn't seem that bad.  Oikawa's dad must know Iwaizumi more than he thought.</p><p>"<em>Wingardium Leviosa</em>."  Oikawa started levitating a piece of paper, moving it from one side of the room to the other, smiling a bit when the wand cooperated with him.  Iwaizumi couldn't help but smile to himself too, watching as Oikawa was enjoying doing his magic again.  The smile quickly vanished though, when Oikawa looked over at Iwaizumi, excitedly waving the wand around.</p><p>"Isn't this nice?  We can do magic again!"  Oikawa cheered, Iwaizumi forcing himself to roll his eyes and putting his wand away and sitting down on the couch, Oikawa following him and sitting next to him.  </p><p>Silence between them too has been something Iwaizumi was learning how to get used to.  Oikawa was usually the person to start the conversation and Iwaizumi would respond accordingly.  But nowadays Oikawa has been sitting in silence with Iwaizumi, not even attempting to make the attention go on him.  It freaked Iwaizumi at first, but now it was scaring how long he's been able to keep doing this.</p><p>"Oikawa, are you okay?"</p><p>Oikawa sat up a little bit, looking over at Iwaizumi.  He wasn't pressed up against him like usual, but they were still close to each other.  Just another few centimetres and Oikawa and Iwaizumi would be squished together.</p><p>"Yeah, why?"  Oikawa looked around, trying to find something with his reflection on it.  "Do I look sick?"</p><p>Iwaizumi watched as Oikawa found a silver artifact on the coffee table, checking himself in it, fixing his hair before putting it down again then looking over at Iwaizumi, cocking his head a bit.</p><p>"Do I look not okay?"</p><p>Iwaizumi couldn't answer it right away because it wasn't like Oikawa looked bad or sick.  It was the way he was acting, but at the same time he was acting fine too.  Obviously, it was putting Iwaizumi off.</p><p>Oikawa was still himself.  He was still impudent towards people he didn't like, still over excited over things that he loved, and still screamed 'Iwa-chan, Iwa-chan' when he wanted Iwaizumi's attention.  Nothing changed.</p><p>Yet Oikawa's changed significantly.  His attention has branched out from himself and Iwaizumi to other people like Bokuto and Akaashi, he studies hard even in the subjects he hates and most of all, he leaves Iwaizumi when Iwaizumi tells him to.</p><p>It was like he grew up without warning and now Iwaizumi wasn't sure what to do.</p><p>"Nothing," Iwaizumi shook his head, waving his hand as he dismissed his worry.  This was a good thing, wasn't it?  Oikawa branching himself out and developing as a person.  Iwaizumi couldn't expect to be Oikawa's rock for the rest of their lives, in fact, he made sure to tell Oikawa that wasn't healthy many times.  Oikawa was the one who persisted on and on that all he needed was Iwaizumi.<br/>
So what was this feeling of emptiness in Iwaizumi's chest that wasn't being filled.</p><p>"Iwa-chan?"</p><p>The same name filled with the same amount of affection.  Even when he looked at Oikawa he looked the exact same.  So what was the difference?</p><p> </p><p>It wasn't until a few days later when Iwaizumi finally broke.  </p><p>Oikawa has been going out past curfew to see Bokuto a lot more than Iwaizumi thought he would've, saying that Bokuto had 'something to tell him' or 'something to give him'.  The first few times, Iwaizumi let it slide, but now it's been over a week since Oikawa's been doing this and it was starting to get on his nerves.  Oikawa was going to get the Slytherin house in trouble again.<br/>
And maybe, just maybe, Iwaizumi was a little bit jealous.</p><p>"Why can't you just stay put?  It's Monday."<br/>
"I'll be back quick.  I'm always back before dinner, aren't I?"</p><p>Oikawa talking back wasn't rare, but this was the first time that Oikawa talking back to Iwaizumi and didn't actually <em>stop</em>.  He seemed to really want to leave the tower, no explanation, just saying he was going to meet up with Bokuto for a bit again.  Iwaizumi just asked for a little more detail.</p><p>"What are you two even doing?"<br/>
"Does it matter?'  Oikawa snapped back right away making Iwaizumi groan louder, stepping closer to Oikawa so he could properly look at him.  "Yes, it does actually.  I want to make sure you're not doing anything weird."</p><p>Oikawa scowled at that, crossing his arms in the child like manner Iwaizumi has seen before.  He rolled his eyes, sighing loudly as Oikawa looked away, at least not going anywhere.  Maybe if Iwaizumi kept him long enough it would get too late for him to leave.</p><p>"So Iwa-chan doesn't trust me now?"<br/>
"I didn't say that," Iwaizumi quickly defended himself, putting a hand up to make Oikawa stop before he could continue that sentence.  This wasn't about trust, this was a whole different matter.<br/>
This was about Oikawa being suspicious.</p><p>"I want to know what you're doing and if it's a good reason then I'll let you go."  Oikawa scoffed, looking at Iwaizumi again, glaring at him.  It took Iwaizumi by surprise, stepping back subconsciously. </p><p>"Iwa-chan, are you my mom or something?"  Oikawa asked with a dead stare that made Iwaizumi gulp, but he quickly stared back, giving Oikawa the same intensity.  Iwaizumi was in the right here, they couldn't just be going around past curfew now, especially him and Oikawa.  The headmaster and them didn't exactly have a good relationship anymore.</p><p>"You're not, right?"  Oikawa continued on when Iwaizumi didn't respond.  "So don't act like one.  I don't need that right now."</p><p>It was funny.  Iwaizumi was sure he knew what Oikawa needed.  When Oikawa needed someone to listen, he would listen.  When Oikawa needed time, Iwaizumi would wait.  When Oikawa needed comfort, Iwaizumi would indulge in that too.<br/>
They've been friends for so long, he's come to know exactly what Oikawa knew even if he didn't say it out loud.  Iwaizumi was pretty sure he knew what Oikawa needed now too, which was some discipline.</p><p>But as he watched Oikawa's back leaving the dorm, going off to meet Bokuto again, he didn't hear himself stopping him.  Because now, Iwaizumi really didn't know what Oikawa needed anymore.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa never thought he would take the advice of a Gryffindor before.  In fact, he hated himself more and more each day as he met Bokuto outside and Kuroo would be there too, waiting, sometimes with textbooks, sometimes with different ingredients with potions and sometimes with different magical creatures that Bokuto would sneak out.  Every time, Oikawa felt his pride flush down the drain a little more, sitting on the grass and waiting for a stupid lesson.</p><p>Kuroo has been tutoring Oikawa these past few days and he was feeling annoyed with everything more than usual.</p><p>"<em>Mobilicorpus </em>moves a body, dead or alive, but you can make variants of the spell.  As long as you add '<em>Mobili</em>' and something after, it'll work.""What's the difference between this and <em>Wingardium leviosa</em>?"  Oikawa asked, because one of the things Kuroo noticed was Oikawa didn't ask anything even if he had no idea what was going on, which obviously wasn't a good thing.  So Kuroo always pushed him to ask when he didn't know something or else Kuroo wouldn't continue the lesson.</p><p>"<em>Wingardium leviosa</em> is for levitation and flying.  <em>Mobilicorpus </em>can make the body move, and if you have enough control than you can make the body move in any way you want.  So I could move you to the side, I could move you down, I could make you sit, etc. etc.,"  Kuroo explained, Oikawa nodding as he stood up, taking his new wand out and pointing it to Bokuto.  <br/>
Yeah, only Bokuto would be willing to be a test subject.</p><p>"I'll demonstrate first," Kuroo said, taking out a wand as well, if it was his Oikawa wasn't sure, but he seemed confident as he aimed it to Bokuto, swishing his wand.  "<em>Mobilicorpus</em>!"  Kuroo said with a clear voice, right away Bokuto stiffened.  Kuroo started moving Bokuto around, making him slide to the side, then levitating him 10 feet in the air.  Bokuto just laughed, enjoying being moved around.</p><p>"That looks easy enough," Oikawa said with a nod, Kuroo flicking the wand to make the spell stop, Bokuto relaxing again and waiting for Oikawa to take a turn.  Oikawa cleared his throat, holding his arm straight out, aiming right at Bokuto.  Kuroo was watching him, crossing his arms as he examined Oikawa's form, nodding in approval when he saw Oikawa was in a proper stance.</p><p>"<em>Mobilicorpus</em>!"  Oikawa said in the same clear voice, Bokuto stiffening up again when it happened.  Oikawa cheered when it worked, moving Bokuto around side to side then levitating him up.  He couldn't help but feel excited, clapping to himself while Bokuto was still in the air.  Kuroo gave him another nod of approval, clapping quietly at the side before swishing his wand to bring Bokuto down and take the spell off of him.  This was about the fourth spell they've worked on that session, so the three of them sat down to take a little break.</p><p>"You're getting a lot better," Kuroo pointed out, Bokuto taking some bottles of pumpkin juice from his robes and handing everyone one.  Oikawa beamed at Kuroo, nodding confidently.  "I've been feeling that too!"</p><p>Iwaizumi was good at school and magic.  Obviously Oikawa's last attempt to do things on his own didn't go so well and now the headmaster thought Oikawa was obsessed with one of the deadliest potions in the history of magic.  So now, Oikawa was doing a second attempt, but this time a little more sane and nothing too risky, just baby steps.  His end goal was to be on the same grading level as Iwaizumi by the end of the year so their names could be together on the scoreboard.  </p><p>"How are you and Iwaizumi?"  Bokuto asked, the three of them sipping on their pumpkin juice as they sat down behind the Gryffindor tower.  Oikawa had no fear about getting caught, and in reality didn't care that much.  Their hall monitor sucked anyway.<br/>
"I mean," Oikawa shrugged.  "I did what you guys told me to do and cooled it down a bit...but I don't think he cares.""He's probably getting used to it," Kuroo waved his hand, trying to make Oikawa feel better.  At first the two were reluctant to work together, but now that they were more familiar with each other, tings were much more comfortable.  Oikawa hated admitting it, but it was sort of, kind of, somewhat nice to have friends like them.</p><p>"After years of following him around and now you two are drifting.  Probably taking him by surprise."  Oikawa pouted at the way it was phrased, shaking his head quickly.  "We're not drifting!  I'm just giving him more space...""Space, drifting, it's the same," Kuroo shrugged.  "But if you think about it, isn't this good?  He's thinking about you now."</p><p>Oikawa hated this advice the two gave him, but he didn't have a lot of options anymore when it came to his love life.  His usual tactic of following Iwaizumi around until he loved him back wasn't working (hasn't been working) so he needed to look for another way, maybe one that would work better for Iwaizumi instead of Oikawa.  Frustrating, but Oikawa couldn't find any other ways right now.<br/>
He was taking a huge gamble.</p><p>"It's not fair," Oikawa grumbled, hugging his knees to his chest and sighing loudly.  "You guys can be obsessed over your boyfriends, but when I do it it's 'weird' or 'unhealthy'.  What's the difference?"  Oikawa pouted, taking another big gulp from his pumpkin juice.</p><p>"The difference is," Kuroo chuckled.  "We waited until they were actually our boyfriends."</p><p>Oikawa grumbled some more, not liking that answer because it was true.  Iwaizumi wasn't his yet, and though it took him a while to understand, Iwaizumi wasn't his unless he wanted to be Oikawa's.<br/>
It was upsetting.  </p><p>"I just want to hug Iwa-chan properly again," Oikawa whined, looking up at the sky.  "Life is so cruel.  I've known Iwa-chan longer than Bokuto's known Akaashi, or Kuroo's known-""Oikawa!"</p><p> </p><p>All three of their heads snapped at the sudden scream of Oikawa's name, all of them holding their breaths as they watched Iwaizumi storming towards them angrily.</p><p>"Uh oh," Oikawa could hear both of them say behind him, wanting to hit them, but Oikawa couldn't even breath properly.  He quickly got up, brushing the dirt off his clothes as Iwaizmi got closer, right until they were facing each other, inches apart.<br/>
Iwaizumi looked pissed.</p><p>"You ignored curfew to go out for...<em>pumpkin juice</em>?"  Oikawa could feel a lecture coming, and usually he would have a good excuse for what he was doing.  But getting tutoring was an embarrassing thing for Oikawa, especially when you put Iwaizumi beside him as someone who he hung out with 24/7.  He didn't want to tell him.</p><p>"Iwa-chan, I can-""You're really putting everyone else in jeopardy for this, you know?  If you got caught, do you think it's only you who will suffer?  No!  It's all of us.  And I don't want our whole house shitting on you just because you wanna have some fun with your new friends."  Bokuto and Kuroo didn't really say anything, deciding to stay out of this one.</p><p>"Iwa-chan-""No!  You're always like this!  Doing things on your own, not asking anyone for help.  Do you understand just how much trouble we're in already?  Our curfew is the shortest one for a reason.  Quit acting like a child for once and think of other people!"</p><p>Iwaizumi was panting after his rant, his face red.  Oikawa looked like he was about to tear up.</p><p>His eyes were watering, inhaling deeply and holding in a deep breath while Iwaizumi's eyes widened in realization what just happened.  Oikawa gritted his teeth, rubbing his eyes hard as he tried to calm himself down, but he couldn't help it.  Iwaizumi angry was a really scary and sad experience for him.</p><p>"I-I know that!"  Oikawa exclaimed, holding in sobs, making his voice strangled and trembling.  "I know, okay?  I'm inconsiderate and terrible!  I know I'm not that great of a person and I'm mean to people that aren't Iwa-chan.  I know that I can't do things right and I mess up a lot.  I know that I'm reckless and immature.  I know all of that, okay?  I know!"</p><p>Iwaizumi's eyebrows furrowed, watching as Oikawa was holding in a break down and was moving closer to a tantrum, but obviously this was different.  Oikawa was admitting something that Iwaizumi thought he would never hear come out of Oikawa's mouth before.</p><p>"I know now, okay?  But-But Iwa-chan, I don't know what else to do!  You don't know how much I like you and I can't show you anyway else.  You don't believe me when I tell you, you hate when I hug you, you tell me leave you alone when I follow you around.  How else am I supposed to show you I like you?  What do I do to make you believe me?"  Iwaizumi couldn't understand how this correlated to Oikawa's sneaking out, however his heart stopped whenever Oikawa kept saying 'I like you'.  He was saying these things too fast, Iwaizumi didn't have enough time to respond.<br/>
He wasn't surprised, so why was his heart beating so loudly?</p><p>Oikawa started to hiccup, but there still weren't any tears.  Iwaizumi was watching Oikawa, his eyes softening, wanting to reach out to him, but Oikawa was looking up at Iwaizumi now, with more confidence after a few seconds, his look much more hard.  Iwaizumi had to step back a bit as he felt Oikawa's demeanor change from frustrated to determined.</p><p>"So Iwa-chan, I'll wait for you!  I'll wait for you until you can accept my feelings.  Even if I wait the rest of my life, I'll wait until Iwa-chan doesn't see me as a friend anymore!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0042"><h2>42. Firsts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Warning : This chapter includes SMUT</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Wakatoshi, did you choose a red rose because it reminded you of me?"</p><p>Watching Ushijima getting worried and confused was Tendou's favourite thing.  Even though he loved Ushijima's straight face all the same, he couldn't help but feel extra excited whenever Ushijima got flustered or confused over Tendou, quietly fussing over something Tendou actually didn't really care about in the first place.  Since Ushijima rarely got upset or angry at Tendou, they had no reasons to fight, so Tendou would never provoke him.</p><p>However, in times like this, when Ushijima showed a little more emotion than usual, Tendou's heart would leap with joy because it showed him just how much Ushijima loved him.</p><p>"Uh, well..." Ushijima looked down at the flower again, gulping but then nodded slowly, holding it out to Tendou.  He didn't take it just yet, instead crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.  Ushijima came all the way to the Slythering tower, asking for Tendou and apparently was waiting for at least half an hour and refused to leave.  Obviously with Ushijima's face no one messed with him.<br/>
Tendou did not mind that at all.  Only he knew Ushijima's cute sides like this one.</p><p>"I want to apologize.  For talking to you like that before," Ushijima said, not hesitating giving Tendou the rose again.  It was a little lame, something that Tendou wouldn't be surprised Ushijima got out of a book, but then again Ushijima only read non-fiction.  </p><p>"It was not in my rights to say something like that to you," Ushijima continued, Tendou watching as Ushijima started turning a shade of pink that he only sees every so often.  It was quite satisfying.</p><p>"I learned that," Ushijima cleared his throat, Tendou not caring that there were Slytherins behind him that wanted to get out.  He was having a nice conversation with his boyfriend and he wanted to hear Ushijima till the end.  "I learned that you are my home too, Tendou," Tendou's eyes widened slightly, standing up straight from the door frame, cocking his head a bit at Ushijima.  "You are my home too, so wherever you go, I will be there.  With you."</p><p>Silence filled between them as Ushijima waited for a response, still holding the rose out the entire time.  Tendou bit the inside of his cheek, wanting to be a bit more mean, but the sincerity in Ushijima's voice and face (although no one else could tell) was making Tendou's heart race in an unnecessary pace.</p><p>"Hm," Tendou took the rose, twirling it around with his fingers, touching the soft petals and examining it.  He could practically read Ushijima's thought process when he picked it, probably something along the lines of 'beautiful and red.  Like Tendou.'  It was cheesy, but so touching.</p><p>"Come back here at midnight," Tendou said in a quiet voice, smirking at Ushijima as his eyes widened. "But...the curfew-""For me, Waka-chan."  Tendou turned around, holding the rose to his chest, turning his head back to give Ushijima one final look.</p><p>"Or else I'll get even more mad.  Then we really don't know what I'll do."</p><p> </p><p>Sneaking out wasn't something Ushijima was used to.  In fact, this might be the first time he was doing something like this, and it was a little confusing and scary.  He didn't want to break the curfew and risk more points for Ravenclaw, but Tendou was more important than a house cup.  <br/>
To Ushijima at least.</p><p>Ushijima was a smart person - that's why he was a Ravenclaw.  But it seemed that finding a way to sneak out was a level of cleverness he hadn't unlocked just yet.</p><p>First, he had to time it perfectly.  Obviously he needed to leave a little before midnight, so he had to choose a perfect time when all his roommates were asleep and the head of the house was done monitoring his side of the dormitories.  Ushijima ended up leaving around 11:30.</p><p>Next, he had to actually get out of the tower without getting caught or making any sound.  It was difficult, this part, especially with Ushijima's size, it was hard in the dark to figure out where he was stepping.  Every time the floor creaked he held his breath, looking left and right to make sure no one heard.  With a sigh of relief, Ushijima would continue his journey down to the Ravenclaw tower door, needing to be extra careful there too.  The castle was over hundreds of years old, it was bound to squeak at least a little bit.</p><p>"Akaashi?"  The 4th year Ravenclaw gasped, slapping a hand on his mouth quickly when he heard someone catch him.  His eyes widened when he turned around, but relaxed once he saw it was just Ushijima.  He uncovered his mouth, Ushijima looking behind him to see Akaashi was sneaking out too.</p><p>"Oh, uh," they stood there awkwardly, the Ravenclaw door opened ajar, waiting for someone to step out.  "Are you gonna..." Akaashi pointed behind him to the door, looking at Ushijima again.  </p><p>"Yes," Ushijima nodded shortly, slowly stepping to the side, trying to get to the door.  "I-I am too," Akaashi said quickly, going to the door as well, taking a step out.  "Uh, just to let you know, the hall monitors do a second round on the Ravenclaw tower at 1 AM - 1:30 AM, so don't try coming back between those times," Akaashi advised, turning around and leaving first.  Ushijima nodded even though Akaashi was gone, then followed his lead, leaving the Ravenclaw tower too, quietly closing the door and heading to the Slytherin side of the school.</p><p>Now, getting past hall monitor ghosts and not getting caught by some of the professors.  It was hard for Ushijima to hide behind statues and swiftly move across the shadows, but he managed to make it to the stairs.  Everytime a ghost passed by he would have to quickly find a cornered wall to hid behind, holding his breath and praying hard.  Finally though, he raced to the top of the stairs, making it to the door.</p><p>Did he have to knock?  Tendou never gave him a password, so maybe he just had to wait?  He wasn't sure of the time anymore, so now he didn't get a good sense for how long Tendou had been waiting for him.<br/>
Luckily for Ushijima, Tendou opened the door, raising an eyebrow when he saw Ushijima.</p><p>"Hm.  Impressive," Tendou grabbed Ushijima's hand and surprisingly started to lead him down the stairs.  Ushijima thought they would spend time in the Slytherin tower, but it seemed like Tendou had other plans.</p><p>"Wait, Tendou-""Come on.  We might not get this opportunity again."  Ushijima was unsure by what Tendou meant, but he followed silently, not wanting to accidentally upset Tendou again.</p><p> </p><p>"You want to...take a bath?"</p><p>Tendou led Ushijima all the way to the prefects bathroom, one that Ushijima had talked about before but never entered because he said the 'regular showers were fine'.  The prefects were able to use the big bathtub any time they liked though, so it confused Tendou why Ushijima never used it.</p><p>"Yeah, I did," Tendou hummed, hiding his grin from Ushijima as he started to strip, starting with his shirt.  He could feel Ushijima's eyes on his back, but he didn't turn around just yet to see if Ushijima was stripping as well.</p><p>"Did you not shower today?"  Ushijima asked, and Tendou knew it was supposed to be an innocent question, but he couldn't help but laugh.  "I didn't, Waka-chan.  Does that disgust you?"  As Tendou asked he finally turned, dropping his sweater when he saw Ushijima standing there.</p><p>Naked.  More naked than Tendou expected, he couldn't help but gulp.  His eyes trailed from Ushijima's face, down to his neck and collarbones, right to chest that was bare, down to his hard abdomen where Tendou has touched before but never without clothes separating them.  His abs led down to his v-line that was more defined than it should've been, down to his thighs and...</p><p>Tendou had to look away, blushing red.  "I never think Tendou is disgusting," Ushijima stated, moving into the tub that was filled with water and bubbles, insisted by Tendou.  "It's warm in here," Ushijima looked back at Tendou, who was still not fully stripped.  "Are you going to join me?"</p><p>Tendou bit the inside of his cheek, annoyed because Ushijima probably had no idea what he was doing.  He stripped as well though, taking off his pants and boxers, now a little bit insecure if he compared Ushijima's more muscular build to Tendou's lanky one.  Did Ushijima have time to work out?</p><p>"Should've told me you were hung..." Tendou mumbled as he got inside of the water with Ushijima, sitting beside him, but started sinking down so his lower half of his face was covered with bubbles.  Ushijima didn't move closer, but he did look over at Tendou, his stare making Tendou shift a bit, unsure if he was supposed to be aroused by it or embarrassed.  Maybe both.</p><p>"Hung where?" </p><p>Of course Ushijima didn't know what 'hung' meant.  If Tendou said 'nice cock' Ushijima would probably reply with something like 'but there's no rooster?'.  Tendou's original plan was to make Ushijima embarrassed and flustered, but he was feeling himself getting more timid as Ushijima's oblivious personality was being an advantage in this case.  Ushijima probably didn't know just how hot he was either, which pissed Tendou off more.</p><p>"Tendou?  Are you okay?"  Ushijima asked in a concerned voice, actually sliding closer to Tendou this time making Tendou sit up straight, watching what Ushijima was doing.  "You're red."</p><p>Tendou gulped, now seeing Ushijima's chest wet, drops of water running down from his neck, trailing into the water, getting lost in places Tendou had only fantasized about till now.  Ushijima really had no clue.</p><p>"Tendou-""Sh," Tendou covered his mouth, having to look away.  The bathwater was hot and so was Ushijima - Tendou felt like he was going to burn.  "Give me a minute."  Tendou held his hand up at Ushijima, making them both quiet for a little bit while Tendou gathered his thoughts.  This wasn't good, how jumbled up he was feeling right now.  But he wanted to do this.<br/>
Oh god, how long he's wanted to do this.</p><p>"Okay," Tendou took a deep breath, smirking to himself before looking over at Ushijima, giggling softly.  "I'm ready now."</p><p> </p><p>"Can you at least pretend you're turned on?"</p><p>Tendou had the courtesy of sitting in Ushijima's lap, his bare ass rubbing against Ushijima's hard thighs, yet Ushijima wasn't even showing a slight reaction.  Tendou was still too embarrassed to touch Ushijima's dick, so he hasn't gone that far, but he was so sure that this would've had some sort of reaction.<br/>
He really did think so.</p><p>"Turned...on?""Yeah," Tendou huffed, wrapping his arms around Ushijima's neck and pouted up at him.  Ushijima's hands were on his thighs, dangerously close to Tendou's ass, but he didn't touch exactly where he wanted.  But then again, he thought that maybe if Ushijima went too fast it'd be way too embarrassing.</p><p>"You know," Tendou bumped his head against Ushijima's.  "Getting an erection.  Not being able to control yourself around me," Tendou said, trying to jog some ideas in Ushijima's mind, but it seemed that Ushijima didn't quite understand.  Tendou sighed loudly, sliding his hand down Ushijima's chest, biting his lip as he felt how firm Ushijima was, not being able to help but start kissing him, his lips pressing on Ushijima's shoulder, humming softly against his skin.  Ushijima didn't even flinch. </p><p>"Why would I lose control?"  Tendou chuckled softly, shaking his head.  If Ushijima wasn't going to get wild, then Tendou wouldn't mind working double time to make up for the two of them.  </p><p>"Because I'm sexy.  And hot.  And your boyfriend," Tendou stated confidently, getting off of Ushijima's lap, standing in the tub and going over to sit on the edge of the tub, spreading his legs.  Ushijima watched him, looking up at Tendou curiously.</p><p>"Come here," Tendou pointed between his legs, the bubbles on his thighs sliding down, disappearing from his skin every few seconds.  Ushijima obeyed, crawling between Tendou's legs, sitting down and looking up at him.  The scene was erotic, Ushijima's wet body between his thighs, each drip of water dropping from the ends of his hair - but Tendou loved it.  A surge of power that went through his spine, knowing he was in control of Ushijima in this sense, it was exhilarating.  </p><p>"Do you know what to do?"  Tendou asked, raising an eyebrow, but he already had a feeling he knew what the answer was.  Ushijima hummed softy, shaking his head, but unprompted he started kissing Tendou's inner thighs softly, innocently, eyes locked with Tendou's.</p><p>"I do not," Ushijima whispered lowly, licking the drops of water on Tendou's thighs, ghosting his lips from one thigh to the other.  "Do you think you could teach me?"</p><p>Tendou bit his lip, putting a hand in Ushijima' hair, pulling him closer.  His other hand went to Ushijima's jaw, with a little bit of force making Ushijima open his mouth.  Again, Ushijima obeyed.</p><p>"Lick it."</p><p>He could see Ushijima hesitating, wondering what Tendou meant, but Tendou was patiently waiting for Ushijima to do something.  After a few seconds, Ushijima poked his tongue out, licking right under the head of Tendou's cock making Tendou gasp, biting his lip harder.  This was the first time for both of them, so of course they had things to work out and experience, but Tendou wouldn't want it any other way.</p><p>"Waka-chan," Tendou hummed in approval, cupping Ushijima's face, looking down at him.  Ushijima looked up, opening his mouth more.  Tendou slid his cock inside of his mouth slowly, watching Ushijima take him without hesitation.  Tendou's breath hitched, licking his lips.</p><p>He could so get used to this.</p><p> </p><p>"Fuck-" </p><p>Tendou groaned softly as Ushijima put one finger inside of him, using the water as lube.  It was tight, a weird feeling considering that this was the first time something was being inserted inside his ass.  But he didn't want to stop now when they've gone this far.<br/>
Tendou agreed to be the bottom after he realized it didn't matter who was getting a dick stuck up their ass - Tendou was still in charge.</p><p>"Are you okay, Tendou?"  Ushijima asked, kissing the back of his neck softly.  Tendou was bent over the edge of the tub, his ass out for Ushijima, telling him what to do behind him.  Tendou hissed as Ushijima went knuckle deep, nodding.  It was uncomfortable, but it didn't hurt.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm fine," Tendou reassured him, balling his fists up, leaning his head on the bathroom floor.  "Add another one."  Ushijima kept hissing his neck softly, pecks spotted everywhere, from his neck down to his neck, hissing every inch of his spine as he added another finger like Tendou demanded, slowly but surely.  Tendou groaned at the intrusion, tightening up again but trying to loosen up to make it easier for Ushijima.</p><p>"Is it painful?"  Ushijima's tone was getting worried as he saw Tendou writhing beneath him, but he still kept slowly pumping two fingers inside and out of Tendou, stretching him.  Tendou shook his head quickly, looking back at Ushijima with a small smirk.</p><p>"No.  Waka-chan feels so good right now," Tendou moaned softly, pushing his ass back every time Ushijima thrust in, getting his fingers to go even deeper inside of him, hissing softly.  "Try-Try spreading your fingers inside of me, Waka-chan.  It'll make it easier when it's you.""But it is me already."  Tendou didn't have time to explain right now.  Ushijima did take the advice though, scissoring Tendou's entrance carefully, making Tendou gasp and the sudden stretch, tilting his head back.  Ushijima leaned down, kissing Tendou's forehead.</p><p>"Are you okay?""Yes.  Oh god, I'm so okay right now," Tendou moaned, looking at Ushijima with a hazier gaze, starting to feel how good this actually was.  "Another finger, Waka-chan.  Give me another one."</p><p>Ushijima's eyes widened at the sudden change of reaction, from an uncomfortable stance to this more lewd one.  Ushijima gulped, feeling his cock twitch at the sight of Tendou. <br/>
This was the first time he's felt like this.</p><p>"Oh shit, that's good," Tendou groaned when Ushijima added the third finger, finally finding a medium pace, occasionally spreading them out in Tendou to make him stretch even more.  He was going past the second knuckle now, going deeper than Tendou asked, but it was making his head go blank so he didn't even care.  Imagine Ushijima's actual dick.</p><p>"You too Waka-chan.  You need to feel good too," Tendou turned around before Ushijima could ask what he was talking about, pushing Ushijima back in the water and straddling his lap.  By instinct, Ushijima put his hands on Tendou's waist, balancing him as Tendou reached behind him, using one hand to spread his ass and the other to hold Ushijima's cock.  Ushijima exhaled sharply, his cock stiff at Tendou's touch, his eyebrows furrowing as he was unsure.  Tendou kissed his frown away though, giggling as such a serious face was about to get ruined by a new feeling of ecstasy. </p><p>"I love you, you know that?"  Tendou licked up Ushijima's jaw as he sank down on Ushijima's cock, groaning softly at the size, the water moving around them making the entering process easier.  When the head entered completely Tendou grunted uncomfortably, breathing a little bit harder.  Ushijima hard was bigger than he expected.</p><p>"Fuck," Tendou rested his head on Ushijima's shoulder, while Ushijima's arms wrapped around Tendou's waist, pulling him closer.</p><p>"Tendou," Ushijima whispered in his ear, licking the shell of it making Tendou shiver.  His eyes widened when he felt Ushijima moving under him, thrusting his hips up to get more of his cock inside of him before he was ready. </p><p>"I think-I think I know now-" Tendou screamed as Ushijima bucked his hips up, now half his dick inside of Tendou, his ass burning at the stretch, eyes watering when he could feel the stinging affecting his whole body.</p><p>"When you said 'lose control'."</p><p> </p><p>"Oh my g-god!"</p><p>Tendou might've underestimated Ushijima just a little bit.  First, their position changed completely from inside the tub to the floor beside them, Ushijima now on top as Tendou's legs wrapped around his waist.</p><p>"Wa-Wait, Waka-Oh shit!"  Ushijima grunted as he thrust harder, the tightness around his cock too good of a feeling to stop.  He wanted so much more, especially when Tendou looked erotic under him, gripping on Ushijima's arms for dear life, calling out his name loud enough that heaven could hear him. <br/>
Ushijima felt like he was in heaven right now.</p><p>"Tendou," he moaned softly, holding himself up by his hands planted right beside Tendou's head.  Ushijima wasn't inside of him all the way yet, but Tendou already felt like his whole body was about to break.</p><p>"Waka-chan, slow-oh fuck," Tendou groaned, tightening his ass and his legs around Ushijima, his hands finding their way to Ushijima's neck, pulling at his hair.  It was a weird feeling of wanting Tendou to give him time to adjust or beg him to plow his ass to the ground so he'll never be able to move again.</p><p>"Shit, shit, shit.  Oh shit, fuck-" Tendou panted softly as Ushijima pulled out about half way then slowly entered him again, getting more of him in this time.  Tendou was softening up as well, so that was making things easier too, but Ushijima was starting to get impatient.</p><p>"Does it feel good-""It feels fucking amazing, don't fucking stop," Tendou pulled Ushijima's hair harder, pulling him closer even though they were literally connected already.  Ushijima took it as a good sign, scrunching his face up as he concentrated on Tendou feeling good.  It seemed Tendou wasn't complaining though, drool dribbling down the corners of his mouth as Ushijima was now finding a new pace, slowly pulling out then harshly thrusting back in, still trying to go balls deep inside of Tendou. </p><p>"Ah!"  Tendou's back arched when Ushijima's angle changed as well.  "There!  Again, Waka-chan, again," he begged softly, the painful burn long forgotten as Ushijima started aiming for his prostate, panting softly in Tendou's ear.  After a few more thrusts, Ushijima was finally all the way in. <br/>
And his thrusting was getting more animalistic.</p><p>"Too-Too fa-fast!"  Tendou screamed, but he was scratching Ushijima's back leaving marks, not even trying to push him away.  "I-I can't-"  Tendou's mind was blank as Ushijima's grunts got louder, feeling his cock push deep into places Tendou didn't know could be touched.  He was seeing white as Ushijima did as he was told, hitting only Tendou's prostate for the past five minutes, Ushijima concentrating hard on how his pace and form was that it was a little too perfect for their first time.</p><p>"Waka-Waka-chan," Tendou whined, getting Ushijima's attention right away, looking down at him.  The thrusting was starting to slow down once he got distracted, but Tendou didn't mind.  He put his hand on Ushijima's cheek, caressing him softly and Ushijima responded by leaning into his touch.</p><p>"My first name," Tendou said softly, making Ushijima a little confused.  "Call me by first name."</p><p> </p><p>Ushijima smiled.  Soft, small and rare, Ushijima's smile was also sweet and only for Tendou to see.  His fast paces slowed down, but were still hard and intense that it made Tendou shiver every time he pushed in, arching his back a little more each time.</p><p>"Satori."</p><p>Tendou shivered, Ushijima's lips right beside his ear, squeezing his eyes shut at the intimacy.  The fucking was one thing, but the way he said his name, how his voice was loving laced in with lust - Tendou wasn't going to last a very long time anymore.</p><p>"Satori."</p><p>Tendou reached down to start jacking himself off, feeling his climax approaching and he could tell by Ushijima's pacing, how it got lazier and less patterned, that he was getting close as well.  Ushijima's face looked the most relaxed Tendou has ever seen it before, leaning up to kiss Ushijima's neck, sucking little marks onto his skin so tomorrow they could remember exactly just what happened tonight.</p><p>"Satori."</p><p>Ushijima's body stopped deep inside him, shaking as Tendou felt Ushijima cumming inside of him.  With a loud moan of Ushijima's name, Tendou came in his hand, some of it landing on his and Ushijima's stomach.  Both their bodies jolted, a new feeling that none of them have experienced before, like electricity running down their bodies, intertwined together in a new euphoria that they were absolutely going to try again in the near future. <br/>
It was just them feeling good though.  The affection and intimacy that went through what just happened, how Tendou's arms tightened around Ushijima and how Ushijima's hands traced every inch of Tendou like he was memorizing his skin.  Maybe that was what their first time less awkward and more of a fond memory.</p><p>"Waka...toshi..." Tendou panted softly as Ushijima pulled out, feeling his cum slip out of his ass, but he wasn't exactly sure what to do with it now.  Ushijima landed beside Tendou, panting softly, looking over at his boyfriend, brushing the hair out of his eyes. </p><p>A bathroom floor was disgusting.  Water was spilled everywhere from the tub and the bubbles were popping one by one, but both of them couldn't find it inside themselves to care.  They both didn't want to leave.</p><p>"It would be nicer on a bed," Ushijima commented making Tendou laugh, nodding in agreement.  At least this meant Ushijima wanted to do it again.</p><p>"Yes.  It would be nice," Tendou laughed, leaning up to give Ushijima a quick kiss on the lips.  Ushijima put an arm around Tendou's waist, pulling him in for a longer one.  He opened Tendou's mouth with his tongue, sliding it in and swirling around Tendou's.  It took Tendou by surprise, his eyes snapping open and humming softly, but he quickly melted in the kiss, fighting Ushijima's tongue playfully.  His hands reached up to Ushijima's hair, fisting a section into his hand making Ushijima grunt, kissing him even harder.  Tendou could feel Ushijima getting more aggressive, gripping Tendou's thigh as he pulled him closer, the water between making things slip, but that just made them hold tighter.</p><p>"Dammit," Tendou groaned, feeling himself get hard again.  "This is your fault."</p><p>Ushijima was already crawling down Tendou's body, kissing his neck, then his chest, licking one nipple at a time, his eyes focused on Tendou's face and how it tightened at the feeling.  Ushijima played with Tendou's nipple with his mouth, grazing his teeth on them, sucking on one as his hands forced Tendou's legs open.  Tendou didn't care anymore about who could hear them or if they got caught.  What was going to happen?  They'll be too shocked seeing a dick in Ushijima's mouth to get them in trouble anyway.</p><p>"Allow me then, Satori.  To take responsibility for my actions."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0043"><h2>43. The Lesson</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Learning from their mistakes.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Order of seats!  (In case it's hard to visualize)</p><p>From left to right :<br/>1st row : Sugawara, Daichi, Ushijima, Asahi<br/>2nd row : Tendou, Kuroo, Kenma, Yamaguchi<br/>3rd row : Iwaizumi, Bokuto, Akaashi, *empty*<br/>4th row : Oikawa, Nishinoya, *empty*, *empty*<br/>5th row : Tsukishima, Hinata, *empty*, *empty*<br/>6th row : *empty*, Kageyama, *empty*, *empty*</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Midterms are important for our students to understand and learn everything taught in the first half of the school year.  Every student must participate.  However," headmaster Akaashi looked down from the front of the class, all 16 desks filled.  "The professors have agreed that you 16 boys deserve a little bit of a...different evaluation.  So," he started handing everyone 2 pieces of long parchments, a quill and a cup of ink, levitating it to each of them so they all got it at the same time.  "We'll be doing an essay."</p><p>All 16 of them groaned softly, some louder than others, some holding it in.  This had to be the worst midterm ever because at least with other classes, making a potion or doing a spell was fun.  This was just them writing for a really long time.</p><p>"Everyone will have different topics and questions to make sure there is no cheating," headmaster Akaashi continued on when everyone had their materials.  "Professors will be taking rounds to supervise.  You'll have 3 hours, no more no less."  Everyone looked at the clock, already feeling the time going by painfully slow.  This was apart of their punishment though, so no one complained out loud.</p><p>"Alright, good," headmaster Akaashi nodded his head in approval when everyone was silent, looking up at him and waiting for indication that for them to start.  Once the ticking hand on the clock landed right on the 12, headmaster Akaashi nodded.</p><p>"You may begin."</p><p> </p><p><strong>Sugawara </strong>- was sitting beside Daichi and in front of Tendou, right at the front of the classroom.  Daichi being beside him definitely calmed his nerves quite a bit, but he still didn't like the idea of sitting still in a classroom while writing his hand off.  But it seemed there was other students in the classroom right now that would have much more problems sitting still.</p><p>He waited patiently as the question appeared on the paper, the ink blotching down.  Sugawara read his question carefully.</p><p>
  <em>What makes Amortentia the most powerful love potion in wizarding existence?</em>
</p><p>Sugawara gulped at the question, having to actually think about it.  He remembered learning this last year, but then again he crammed a lot of information at a time in order to get the highest grades.  He couldn't remember a lot from last year.</p><p>Amortentia was strong, he knew that.  Amortentia was deadly, he knew this too.  What made it the most powerful of it in it's whole existence?  Sugawara dipped his quill in the ink, starting off his essay.</p><p>
  <em>'Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in existence because of the uncontrollable obsession it creates without drinking it first, it's ability to take control over any individual and the potency it has over various other stronger potions, one of which includes Wolfsbane.'</em>
</p><p>Sugawara tapped the side of his desk, biting his lip as he tried to think of more words.  This essay was going to determine his grade on the scoreboard ultimately, and he really wasn't ready to have his position of highest Slytherin in their year to drop.  </p><p>
  <em>'Without even drinking it, Amortentia can infatuate anyone who smells it by producing the scent of what a person loves the most.  This can easily disillusion anyone who is close enough to smell it, confusing their attraction and disordering the mind.  Once this disoriented state occurs, it is easier for an individual to be manipulated or lured with solely the scent on it's own.  To drink it is considerably a deadly experience.'</em>
</p><p>Sugawara had to shake his hand as the time went on, checking the clock every 20 minutes or so to make sure he still had time.  He would glance at Daichi every once in a while, wait for him to look back then wink at him.  The way Daichi blushed made Sugawara giggle a bit.</p><p>
  <em>'Lastly, Amortentia has the ability to overpower any other potion, despite the properties or intentions.  One example would be Wolfsbane, a suppressor potion for werewolves in order to conceal their form on a full moon.  Amortentia happens to majorly affect their sense of smell, exposing them to a more sensitive state or desensitizing them all together.  Though Wolfsbane has incredible capabilities, Amortentia with it's scent alone can easily intercept.'</em>
</p><p>Sugawara looked back to see how Tendou was doing, watching as the redhead was shaking his leg, writing his words carefully, hissing when he dropped too much ink.</p><p>"You okay?"  Sugawara whispered, Tendou looking up and nodding.  "Yeah.  You?""I guess."  The two looked up to see if the professor supervising could hear them, but it seemed they were too busy with their book to notice.  Sugawara gave Tendou a thumbs up before both of them went back to their own essays.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Daichi </strong>- wasn't bad at school or anything.  But an essay was too much, he could barely do one when he had a week of time to do it.  He sighed softly as he looked at his question.</p><p>
  <em>What is the connection between pride and love?</em>
</p><p>It didn't quite make sense to him at first, what kind of question this was.  He thought he would get something that asked him about Amortentia, but it seemed that the topic questions were broadened a bit to really make sure no one was going to cheat.</p><p>Daichi was sitting in between Sugawara and Ushijima, behind him Kuroo, his own seat at the front of the class.  And even though Daichi didn't mind the seat, everyone around him seemed to be very intelligent that it was making him sweat.  He could hear all of their quills dragging on the paper, writing and writing words over and over again, knowing what they wanted to say, while Daichi had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to write.  He tapped his quill in his ink, biting his lip as he went in.  He only had 3 hours, he couldn't lose a second.</p><p>
  <em>'Without pride, love is nothing to be faced, but rather to be played with.  Without love, pride is nothing to anticipate, but to feared.'</em>
</p><p>Daichi glanced over to Sugawara, wondering what his paper was about, then took a peak at Ushijima's out of curiosity too.  Kuroo seemed to be writing nonstop as well behind him, he could hear him turn his pages.  It made Daichi want to continue on writing as well.</p><p>
  <em>'To rely on pride in order to love is as foolish as relying on love to strengthen pride.  The importance between the two is found in balance.  To find balance between the love between subject and object, to take pride in such love will come as a natural result.'</em>
</p><p>Every time Daichi wrote the word 'love', he couldn't help but look over at Sugawara, blushing as he remembered their moments together in the dorms, biting his lip hard just thinking about it.  His hickey was gone by now and he was way too embarrassed to ask Sugawara to for another one.</p><p>"Daichi," Kuroo whispered, tapping Daichi's back.  "Can I borrow some of your ink?"  Daichi reached his hand back, Kuroo giving him his little pot of ink and giving Kuroo some.  He wondered what kind of question Kuroo had that he had to get a refill on ink, but Daichi's essay hasn't been much yet so he didn't mind sparing some.  </p><p>"Thank you," Kuroo whispered again as he took the ink back, Daichi nodding before focusing back on his essay.  Pride and love...he didn't think either complimented each other, but if such a question was on an exam, maybe he wasn't thinking hard enough.</p><p>
  <em>'Finding this balance is more difficult than intended, depending on the strength of love one feels and the overpowering ego that each human is built with.  Ignoring either one is dangerous and could lead to an unintentional severe lack or excess.  To have either in the midst of love would cause for destruction for any sort of relationship that foundations on love.'</em>
</p><p>Daichi sighed as he saw the time ticking away, shaking his hand to get a cramp out.  He still had quite a bit of time to get it done, there was still quite a bit of parchment left for him.  </p><p>Pride and love.  Daichi couldn't help but look over at Sugawara.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Akaashi </strong>- gritted his teeth at his question, not knowing if he wanted to laugh or scream at his dad.  He knows that his dad wasn't always that professional with Akaashi, acting like a 'cool dad' in classes even though Akaashi wanted to die of embarrassment when he visited him or watched his Quidditch matches, but Akaashi didn't know what to do with this type of topic.  He was expecting the most complex question if his dad did pick on him since he was the one who made the Amortentia in the first place, but this was too much.</p><p>
  <em>What makes Bokuto Koutarou such a good boyfriend?</em>
</p><p>Akaashi gripped his quill hard, his knuckles turning white for a few seconds before he sighed loudly, hitting his head against his fist.  It was so conflicting - he could definitely write a whole essay on this, but at the same time, for a midterm this was the stupidest question that could be given.  Every time he looked at it he was waiting for his dad to add a 'haha just kidding' but after 5 minutes he realized this was his actual question.  Akaashi said a little prayer for someone to give him strength before he started to write.</p><p><em>'Bokuto Koutarou is an adequate boyfriend because...' </em> Akaashi flipped the parchment over, not liking how it sounded.  Bokuto was much more than adequate.</p><p>
  <em>'Bokuto Koutarou has the qualifications of an outstanding romantic partner because of his dedication, his loyalty and his enthusiasm that he puts in our relationship.'</em>
</p><p>Akaashi went pink as he wrote down each word, feeling himself cringe.  This wasn't something he wanted to hand in at all.  Sure, he could give a whole presentation on why Bokuto was the greatest man alive, but why did it have to be a midterm?  <br/>Bokuto was even sitting beside him, whic just automatically made him feel more flustered.  Kenma was in front of him, so he only had to worry about Bokuto noticing something was weird, but Bokuto was the last person he wanted to notice.</p><p>The thing was, this was supposedly the easiest question he's ever got.  The only thing that was making him hesitate with each word was the fact that his stomach twisted at the thought of someone reading this and grading him.  <br/>Grading Akaashi on bragging about his boyfriend.  If he got less than 100%, what would be his excuse?  He didn't brag well enough?  He was starting to wonder if Bokuto got a similar question.</p><p>
  <em>'Throughout the years of our relationship, Bokuto has proven his dedication to me not only as a partner, but also as someone to trust and rely on.  Bokuto never fails to prove his willingness to persevere in complicated situations and supports in any way he is able to.'</em>
</p><p>Akaashi felt like he was about to puke with the sappiness of every word, shaking his head and hitting his forehead hard with his fist.  His skin was crawling as he started proof reading, sighing loudly again in frustration, it must've been the nth time because Bokuto looked at him with concern, but Akaashi pretended he could see.  He focused on hiding the essay from anyone's vision, not wanting anyone else to know that this was his topic.</p><p>Akaashi loved bragging about Bokuto, but this was the worst way ever to do it.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Bokuto </strong>- still wasn't sure if it was headmaster Akaashi grading this or any other regular professor at the school, probably someone else that has the time one their hands to read a bunch of teenager's essays.  The main thing he was concerned about was not wanting headmaster Akaashi to see him as stupid.  </p><p>
  <em>How has Amortentia shaped the history of magic?</em>
</p><p>Bokuto wanted to scream at the question, spending at least 30 minutes staring at his blank piece of parchment.  He felt like Akaashi's mom had something to do with this, purposefully making it a question based on purely facts so that Bokuto wouldn't know jack shit.  Kuroo probably could write a whole bunch of essays on this, and Akaashi could go days, but Bokuto?  He was the odd one out.</p><p>He's always taken 'Bokuto, you're so stupid' lightly, and never really concerned himself over his grades before.  But after dating Akaashi and realizing just how behind in his studies he really was, Bokuto also realized he needed to try just a little harder at being smart.<br/>He's surprised he even makes it on the score board every single year.</p><p><em>'In wizarding history, Amortentia has...</em><em>'  </em>Bokuto sighed deeply as he looked down at his words, his writing messy on the parchment and the ink slightly smudged.  Was he even using the right kanji at this point?  He barely wrote 10 characters.</p><p>He wondered what Akaashi was writing about, watching as Akaashi was intense in his essay, his face pinked, probably from thinking and working too hard.  It made Bokuto realize just how much he was lacking compared to Akaashi and even Kuroo.  <br/>Kuroo was in front of him and he didn't show any signs of stopping his essay, even having to ask Daichi for more ink.  He probably didn't ask Bokuto because he wanted to make sure Bokuto was actually writing something.  Iwaizumi was beside Bokuto on his left and he also looked like he was thinking intensely about his topic, actually knowing what he was doing.</p><p>Behind him though, was Nishinoya.  And he could practically hear the gears in Nishinoya's head turning, the smoke coming out of his ears as Nishinoya as well was thinking of words to put on the paper.  Even though Nishinoya was annoyingly tapping his fingers on the table and shaking his leg, Bokuto didn't really complain because it's not like he was doing much concentrating himself.  </p><p>Bokuto looked behind him to see Nishinoya hasn't even put anything on the paper yet, his page completely blank despite them only having 2 hours left to finish.  But if he looked at Nishinoya's face, it seemed like he knew that too.</p><p>"You good, Noya-kun?"  Bokuto asked in a whisper, Nishinoya sitting up and nodding quickly.  His quill hadn't even been dipped in ink yet, but Bokuto didn't point that out.  "Y-Yeah.  Thanks for asking," Nishinoya gave him a tight smile before Bokuto turned back around, trying to focus on his own essay again.</p><p>Pure facts.  Bokuto had to work with pure facts.<br/>He was so failing this essay.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Hinata </strong>- wanted to look like he knew what he was doing.  So badly, he wanted to look like he knew what he was doing.  But the reality of it was that he had no idea whatsoever what the hell was going on right now.</p><p>An essay was a lot to ask for.  Hinata could barely pass exams and all that required was a bunch of memorization.  Even though Kageyama was behind him, probably just as clueless, Nishinoya was in front of him equally as empty minded as well, and Tsukishima was the only one beside him, but Hinata would rather die by the hands of his mother before Tsukishima could kill him.  So there was no smart people he could look off of.  Sure they all had different questions, but maybe one person like Iwaizumi or Kenma could give him a little bit of inspiration.</p><p>
  <em>How has the discovery of magical creatures affected the wizarding word as we know it?</em>
</p><p>3rd years haven't learned about Amortentia yet, so he knew he wasn't getting a question on the potion along with the other 3rd years in the room, however this wasn't that easy of a question either.</p><p>In their 1st year of school Hinata remembered he had to buy 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' by Newt Scamander, and Hinata really liked the book!<br/>Well, the pictures at least.<br/>It was interesting, and it might've been equally as interesting if he read it properly, but at that time Hinata was able to pass his school year by doing really well in Flying class and classes that were more hands on, like Potions or Charms or Defense Against the Dark Arts.  The average balanced out and every year Hinata was able to go onto the next year without passing a single test in class.</p><p>But now, this essay was his midterm.  This affected his whole grade, right here on a piece of paper.  If his mom knew about the accident that happened at Hogwarts, how he broke his wand and got Kageyama's dad to buy them new brooms <em>before </em>asking for a new wand, he was so dead.  He needed to do well on this exam or he wasn't going to live long enough to get a proper kiss from Kageyama.</p><p>
  <em>'The discovery of magical creatures has affected the wizarding world as we know it, making wizards more scared about the different dangers there are in the world.  This has led to more protection against different magical creatures.'</em>
</p><p>Hinata's mind drew a blank, biting his lip anxiously, looking up at the time and groaning softly.  What else was he supposed to write?  Should he write about his dragon and werewolf experience?  He wanted to - man, did he <em>want </em>to - but what was he supposed to say?  That climbing a tree was how to get away from a werewolf?  That you had to wait for lightening to strike the dragon for you?</p><p>"Boke," Kageyama whispered behind him, leaning forward.  "You okay?  You're sweating."</p><p>Hinata didn't even notice.  He wiped the sweat from his head, nodding back at Kageyama, turning a bit to see how much he's written.  It was the same as him, about a few lines in and a few hours to work on it.  Hinata gave him a smile which Kageyama scowled at, but Hinata learned that that was just Kageyama smiling back.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Kageyama </strong>- was biting his fingers as he looked down at his few sentences on his parchment, not knowing what else to write.  Or rather, it wasn't about him not knowing what to write, but he didn't know how to write it.</p><p>Kageyama forgot a lot of kanji.  In his defense, a lot of spells were done in Latin and English that he didn't think he would ever need to read Japanese again.  Sure, he had to read textbooks and whatnot, but there had to be a reason for his bad grades.  <br/>Not being able to read was one of them.</p><p>
  <em>How has the muggle world affected the wizarding world?</em>
</p><p>The feeling...Appropriate?  How has the muggle world appropriated feeling of the wizarding world?  There was a conjugation, so it had to be a verb, right?  Kageyama took a few deep breaths, trying to tell himself that this could be worse.  At least he knew that it had something to do with the muggle world versus the wizarding world.  He just had to bullshit it then, right?</p><p><em>'The wizarding world has been a big presence to the muggle world.  It is possible to see this through...' </em>Kageyama clicked his tongue as he got stuck at the word 'history'.  Was it five strokes or six?  Did it have two characters?  Or maybe it was three?  Maybe he could get away with using just the phonetic system and pray that whoever was grading this was going to give him a lot of sympathy when he saw how messy and unsure his writing was.</p><p>Kageyama was sure he only knew how to write his own name properly, and 'Hinata Shouyou', but at this point he wasn't sure he even wanted the grader to know that this was Kageyama's essay.<br/>Who cared about kanji anyway?  It was just a bunch of Chinese characters.</p><p>
  <em>'It is possible to see this through events that happened.  In the wizarding world, muggle items have been used to own magical presence.'  </em>
</p><p>Kageyama wasn't sure if it made sense.  He sighed softly, as he tried his best to not get too discouraged by it, wanting to at least fill one piece of parchment, but he couldn't even finish three sentences.  <br/>Why was writing so hard?  Was he even reading this properly?</p><p>Hinata looked like he knew what he was doing for the first few minutes of the essay, but Kageyama noticed he stopped as well, peering over his shoulder to see just how much he's done.  <br/>It looked like Hinata was as clueless as he was.  </p><p>Now that he looked at the time it seemed like they had just over an hour and a half.  Kageyama has written exactly 5 sentences by now, none of them he was confident made any sense.  Hopefully it didn't matter though, since he didn't even want to go into muggle studies.  The only reason he knew this much was because Hinata talked about the muggle world a lot.</p><p>And even though it didn't always seem like it, Kageyama loved listening to Hinata.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Yamaguchi </strong>- didn't mind his question all that much.  He thought it would be about Amortentia, but considering they haven't learned it in 3rd year yet it made sense.  Still, an essay to determine how you did on your first half of the school year was a little nerving, but he still wanted to do his best.<br/>Tsukishima looked like he was doing well anyway, so Yamaguchi wanted to make sure he wasn't too behind him (and at the same time not stealing the spotlight from him either).</p><p>
  <em>Should love and magic be intertwined together?  Why or why not?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>'Love and magic are not efficient when used together, because of the immense amount of power each aspect possesses.  In order to use each one to it's fullest potential then it must be worked on alone.'</em>
</p><p>Yamaguchi didn't believe in love potions.  His love for Tsukishima was purely feelings, whether he was a Squib or a wizard, there had no magic inputted into it.  He hoped it was the same for Tsukishima, considering their time in the woods he felt like the Amortentia was lingering between them, he didn't want to admit it out loud.  He didn't want to think that Amortentia was apart of Tsukishima's acceptance of his confession.<br/>That would ruin everything and make Yamaguchi out as a selfish person.  <br/>And maybe he was.  Maybe Yamaguchi was being a little selfish, not wanting to ask for assurance since he felt like it would make Tsukishima realize that Yamaguchi really wasn't that good for him.</p><p>
  <em>'Love overpowers magic, being a genuine and sincere amount of feeling, sense and devotion that magic does not have naturally.  To fall in love or be in love is something that is purely voluntary, yet has nothing to do with awareness at all.  Unlike magic where we can control where the spell is directed towards, loving someone is completely random, wizard or muggle.'</em>
</p><p>Falling in love with Tsukishima, Yamaguchi thought it was inevitable.  In reality though, it was very random.  Who would fall in love with someone they grew up with?  Yamaguchi could remember when they were kids and couldn't do anything for themselves.  They were both helpless and weak at one point together, Yamaguchi knew Tsukishima's weak points, but never points them out.  Instead, he focuses on all of his good points and made sure Tsukishima did too.  Was that so wrong?</p><p>
  <em>'Magic may be something that a wizard or witch is born with without warning, though it is ultimately hat wizard's decision to pursue magic further in accordance to their interest.  Love, however, will always be something that cannot be redirected as easily.'</em>
</p><p>And if one day Tsukishima took some time to realize, maybe even acknowledge, that his love for Yamaguchi was something that was inevitable, Yamaguchi would have him set for life.</p><p>But was that what Yamaguchi wanted?</p><p> </p><p><strong>Tsukishima </strong>- didn't mind the essay.  In fact, he preferred this over having to perform magic like a monkey in front of everyone.  He hated the comments they made about how Tsukishima was 'naturally good'.  Tsukishima practiced and studied like literally anyone else could, he wasn't necessarily special.</p><p>
  <em>How has love affected your life up till now?</em>
</p><p>It didn't seem like a complicated question, but Tsukishima had a feeling the headmaster knew exactly what kind of person Tsukishima was.  If Tsukishima had the chance to bash about how bad this question was, he would. </p><p>1) It had absolutely nothing to do with magic.<br/>2) He learned nothing about 'love' and it's 'effect' on life.<br/>3) Tsukishima hated this topic of 'love' so much.</p><p>But headmaster Akaashi was a wise headmaster, knowing that Tsukishima got over 100s on his exams each year, nothing exactly surprising Tsukishima due to his unending studying.  This was something he didn't know how to answer with studying though.</p><p>Tsukishima couldn't rely on memorization.  He had to actually look into his heart for this bullshit.</p><p><em>'The idea of love and affection has consumed my life in various ways, despite the shortness of it and the lack of years I have lived...' </em>Tsukishima crossed off his sarcastic comment, remembering that this was going to a big percentage of his final grade for his midterm.  His dad would definitely comment on it if he got a lower grade than last year.</p><p>
  <em>'The idea of love and affection has consumed my life in various ways in different forms, including through family, through passions and through friendships.'</em>
</p><p>Tsukishima didn't want to talk about Yamaguchi specifically, but to talk about 'friendships', who else was he supposed to think about?  Yamaguchi has been his only friend up till now.</p><p>
  <em>'Friendships differ from the concept of love in family, having their dedication to the relationship completely voluntary.  How much devotion each party decides to give is a decision rather than an obligation.  In friendships, love takes a significant role in order to keep it strong.'</em>
</p><p>Everything Yamaguchi did for Tsukishima was completely voluntary.  He didn't have to follow Tsukishima around, he didn't have to dedicate his life to Tsukishima, he didn't even need to <em>like </em>Tsukishima. <br/>Everything Yamaguchi did for Tsukishima was completely, 100%, unquestionably voluntary.</p><p>And if the idea of that didn't terrify him, he wasn't sure what would.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Nishinoya </strong>- was freaking the fuck out.  First of all, he was sitting next to Oikawa, so his mood was already sour.  But not only that, Bokuto was in front of him and Hinata was behind him.</p><p>Who was he supposed to cheat off of now?</p><p>Nishinoya knew he was in trouble.  He was in big trouble.  His mind wasn't big enough for this and he was stressing the fuck out because his parents were going to kill him.  He blows up the school, fails the first half of the term and all he comes back with is a boyfriend?</p><p>A hot, kind, caring, amazing, distracting boyfriend.</p><p>Asahi was sitting on the other side of the classroom at the front, writing his essay diligently.  He knew Asahi was pretty smart - that's why he tutored Nishinoya in the first place - so he probably didn't have trouble writing no matter what the topic was.<br/>Would it be insulting to fail the midterms after 2 whole years of tutoring Nishinoya?</p><p>
  <em>What makes a wizard powerful?</em>
</p><p>Nishinoya wanted to write 'big wand, big spells, big money', but of course he wasn't going to do that.  That might get him a 0 instead of at least 5 points.  What did make a wizard powerful though?  Nishinoya didn't know jack shit about that.</p><p>Sure, he was a powerful wizard, but that was different.  Nishinoya was born a powerful wizard, he didn't practice like everyone else.  His wand was rare, his patronus was a lion and hell, Nishinoya didn't even need a wand sometimes in order to make something happen.</p><p>But all that power was an accident.  What <em>really </em>made a wizard powerful?</p><p><em>'A powerful wizard is made up of...'</em> Nishinoya's mind drew a blank, checking the time to see how much of it he had left.</p><p>"Two third mark" the supervising teacher announced, getting everyone's attention.  "You have an hour left to complete your essay.  Remember, no more, no less."</p><p>Nishinoya started to sweat, looking down at his poor 7 words, sighing loudly.  Even Hinata behind him seemed to be having a better time than him, and Bokuto, even though he seemed to be sweating too, at least they had half a page down.</p><p>Nishinoya's top line was basically empty.  Despite being unable to finish the essay, Nishinoya just really wanted the time to be up already.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Asahi </strong>- enjoyed writing.  This was much better than going in front of his classmates and being beat up by whatever dark magic they learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts.  It was also much more peaceful.</p><p>
  <em>Is it possible for Amortentia to defeat a Boggart?  How?</em>
</p><p>Asahi, like the other 5th years, learned about Amortentia last year.  He knew it's properties and what it did, and he was kind of disappointed that everyone's been throwing it around all this time yet Asahi didn't get a chance to smell it.  He did make it last year, but he wished that he could smell it again now that his love for Nishinoya had grown significantly since last year.<br/>He worried for Nishinoya.  Could he handle an essay?</p><p>"Akaashi," Nishinoya whispered, Asahi sure that Nishinoya thought he was quiet, but everyone could hear him.  "Akaashi," Nishinoya whispered again, Asahi turning around to see what Nishinoya wanted from Akaashi.  Nishinoya was leaning forward diagonally from his desk, trying to get closer to Akaashi.  Asahi wasn't the only one looking at him anymore.</p><p>"How do you spell 'exceptional'?"  Asahi bit his lip as Nishinoya's whispering got louder, wanting to tell him that everyone could hear him.  Akaashi was looking back at Nishinoya, pausing for a second before looking at the supervising teacher who was already walking to Nishinoya's desk.  Nishinoya sat back down properly, giving a nervous, innocent smile, going back to his essay by himself.</p><p>"Sorry, professor.""Nishinoya-san, if I hear your voice again then I'm taking away your essay and you're getting a zero."  Asahi winced at the threat, knowing that it was the usual consequence, but he hated seeing Nishinoya in trouble like this.</p><p>Akaashi waited for the professor to start walking away, and while their back was to them he ripped off a piece of parchment and started writing 'exceptional' on it before passing it to Nishinoya.  Nishinoya grinned widely, giving Akaashi a thumbs up before continuing his essay.</p><p>
  <em>'Infatuation is more powerful than fear, unavoidably creating a gap between Amortentia and a Boggart.  In history, love has been seen to defeat the greatest of wizards and spells.  To defeat a Boggart, Amortentia will have the ability to redirect it's energy, whether it be towards the target or itself.  Therefore it is admittedly so that Amortentia does of the ability to defeat a Boggart despite each of it's power and lack of correlation.'</em>
</p><p>Nishinoya didn't even have a Boggart before he started dating Asahi.  So was this answer actually correct?  With love comes fear, doesn't it?  Even though it wasn't a fear of anything remotely scary, it still was a fear.</p><p>Was it selfish for Asahi to feel a little bit nice that Nishinoya's biggest fear had to do with him?</p><p> </p><p><strong>Kenma </strong>- enjoyed this much more than yelling different spells at things.  He could write an essay, he's already wrote a whole essay on Amortentia, another one wasn't going to kill him.</p><p>
  <em>What does it mean when the scent of Amortentia is unidentifiable?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>'Love tends to come in mysterious forms, magic not able to intervene.  When the scent of Amortentia is unknown this leads to belief of simple ignorance towards what the subject loves.'</em>
</p><p>Kenma's hair kept getting into his face, it was starting to get annoying.  He tried holding it back, but he needed both hands, one to write and one to hold the paper down.  His hair would fall even though he would put it back and he would try not leaning back too much, but it always ended up back to the front, getting in the way again.  <br/>Was this long hair actually a benefit?</p><p>"Kenma," Kuroo who was sitting beside him whispered over, holding out a hair tie to Kenma.  Kenma raised an eyebrow at him, looking down at the hair tie, wondering why Kuroo had it, but he slowly realized he must've been carrying it around for, well, Kenma.</p><p>"Here," Kuroo put the hair tie on Kenma's desk before going back to his essay.  Kuroo looked like he was finished a whole parchment sheet of his essay, which was quite impressive.  Sometimes he forgot how diligent and intelligent Kuroo actually was.</p><p>"Thank you," Kenma whispered back, using the hair tie to put his hair in a ponytail, finally putting his hair back and not having pieces fall to the front of his face anymore.  He bit back a smile, not wanting to get excited over something as simple like this.  It wasn't a big deal, it was just a hair tie.</p><p>
  <em>'Without magic already, the concept of love is complicated to figure out.  To identify love solely on the hear alone will require the knowledge of knowing the different meanings of love to each individual.  Amortentia's powers deepen from that, being able to establish a person's most loved object that exceeds the human mind.  The properties of Amortentia is meant to be more powerful than human feelings themselves.'</em>
</p><p>How long did it take Kenma to realize he was in love with Kuroo?  Who knew?  Just one day he opened his eyes and realized that if he wasn't going to be with Kuroo for the rest of his life he was going to scream - and Kenma rarely screamed.</p><p>Without thinking Kenma reached back, touching the hair tie that Kuroo gave him, smiling softly to himself, not being able to control it.  Stupid Kuroo, making his heartbeat this fast without even trying.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Kuroo </strong>- knew he was secretly looked down on academically.  People thought he was dumb just because he liked to break the rules.  Some people mocked him when he tried to study, saying he was 'pretending to be smart' because it was obvious he was obsessed with a Ravenclaw.  Especially headmaster Akaashi, who for some reason preferred his son's boyfriend over his son's boyfriend's best friend.  That's why his question was like this.</p><p>
  <em>What is your favourite animal and why?</em>
</p><p>Headmaster Akaashi probably thought Kuroo wouldn't be able to make something out of this question.  He probably thought Kuroo wouldn't be able to make an intelligent statement with such topic, but Kuroo can.  And Kuroo will.</p><p>
  <em>'Cats are known to be the finest animals to evolve through the course of history, proven to have benefits towards mental health, lessening anxiety and effortless hard work to teach responsibilities.  Through the muggle and wizarding worlds, cats are useful and enjoyable.'</em>
</p><p>Kenma looked like he was focused on his essay as well, Kuroo wanted to stare at him the whole time, but he wanted to finish his essay first.  Kenma liked smart men and Kuroo wanted to be what Kenma wanted.<br/>That and Kuroo actually wanted to have high grades.</p><p>
  <em>'The entire cat family through evolution alone has dominated the animal kingdom.  One example being a lion which is known to be the 'king' of the muggle animal kingdom, establishing it's control over other animals despite the drastic amount of other species that have also evolved with them.  In the wizarding world, a kneazle is a quietly powerful cat, able to identify different human and animal senses, depicting whether it is safe to trust, made of magic or dark magic and remains eternally loyal to it's owner.'</em>
</p><p>"Kuroo," Kenma whispered suddenly, a few minutes after Kuroo had given him the hair tie.  After Kenma started to grow his hair out Kuroo started to carry hair ties around since Kenma was probably not used to it.  So he started wearing one on his wrist.</p><p>"Yeah?"  Kuroo looked over at Kenma who now had his hair in a low ponytail, looking over at Kuroo already.  "What is it, Kenma?""Nothing," Kenma shook his head, going back to his essay, confusing Kuroo a little bit but he just shrugged it off.</p><p>Kuroo was excited for the day he told Kenma that he was Tetsurou (cat version of at least) but sometimes he was worried that Kenma would actually get angry with Kuroo for not telling him sooner.  Especially the other day when Kenma tried to introduce Tetsurou to Kuroo.  Tetsurou made a fuss about it because that was pretty impossible.</p><p>Hopefully Kenma wouldn't mind though and love Kuroo just as much as he loved Tetsurou.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Iwaizumi </strong>- would've much preferred to blast a few spells here in there than do an essay like this.  To have this depict his whole mark for his midterm, Iwaizumi couldn't help but get frustrated.</p><p>Ever since Oikawa had thrown his tantrum and finally confessed properly, Iwaizumi didn't know what to do.  He wanted to accept the confession and he was prepared to actually start a different type of relationship. </p><p>It seemed that Iwaizumi was more cowardly than he thought.</p><p>
  <em>Why are the ingredients of the Amortentia significant to the potion?</em>
</p><p>Iwaizumi could do this.  He could do an essay on this, it was something they did in their 4th year.  Nothing new.</p><p>But Oikawa was sitting behind him and he could hear him sighing constantly.  He thought it was annoying first but now he was concerned.  The two haven't been able to talk properly and Oikawa apparently has still been taking tutoring lessons from Kuroo, which was another thing that confused Iwaizumi.</p><p>Why did Oikawa ask for Kuroo for help?  Sure, Kuroo was a good student, and he was more approachable in a sociable sense than Iwaizumi was, but Iwaizumi was his best friend.  They told each other everything, didn't they?  Iwaizumi has been pushing Oikawa these past 5 years to get his grades higher because he knew Oikawa had that in him.  Iwaizumi has been the one that encouraged Oikawa and tried to get him to make the best of things, not settling for 'passing'.  It was all Iwaizumi.</p><p>So why the fuck was he going to Kuroo for that sort of thing.</p><p>"Two third mark.  You have an hour left to complete your essay.  Remember, no more, no less."</p><p>Iwaizumi's breath hitched when he heard the time, looking down at his essay and realizing what just happened.  He was so busy thinking and worrying about Oikawa that he totally forgot to write the essay.</p><p>Even without trying, Oikawa was ruining his stupid life.</p><p>Iwaizumi would have to do something about this fast since the past few weeks has been nothing but awkward interactions between him and Oikawa and he really needed this to stop.  If Oikawa wanted to be something more and Iwaizumi wanted to be something more, then what was stopping him?  Fear?</p><p>If he's learned anything from that stupid involuntary trip in the Forbidden Forest it was fear was the only thing that could really kill you.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Oikawa </strong>- knew he was being made fun of.  This essay was getting too much, even though he was writing it, probably the 4th or 5th version of this specific topic, headmaster Akaashi was paying games with him.</p><p>Oikawa wasn't obsessed with Amortentia.  He made it once in his 3rd year to prove he could make it, then got it confiscated, rightfully so too, he knew this much.  But when he saw other people being able to carry it around, other people studying it despite not being old enough to, other people being entrusted with this so-called 'dangerous potion', how could he not blow up?<br/>What was wrong with him having it?</p><p>
  <em>What makes Amortentia dangerous?</em>
</p><p>He could recite it if he wanted to.  Oikawa knew the different effects, properties, ingredients, hell, he knew the different histories of people living deadly lives because of the effects of Amortentia.  The only thing was that he's handed in essays of this so many times, did he really have to do this again?  </p><p>Subconsciously, Oikawa was glaring at the back of Akaashi's head despite him being on the other side of the classroom.  Headmaster Akaashi wasn't there, so he had to settle with this.</p><p>Then there was Iwaizumi.  Oikawa didn't do it intentionally, but it just happened that they haven't been talking to each other as often.  Oikawa was still taking tutoring sessions from Kuroo and his grades had improved a lot, he was making it in the top 10 now on the scoreboard, getting closer to Iwaizumi.<br/>Did Iwaizumi notice this?</p><p>
  <em>'Amortentia is a dangerous potion, however it is not as deadly as wizards and ministry make it out to seem.  There are many advantageous properties to Amortentia that have actually improved evolution of magic, and has changed the world of wizarding as we know it.'</em>
</p><p>Oikawa did it out of spite, really.  He hated that he was probably looked down on now for looking like he was obsessed with this whole Amortentia thing, but he wasn't obsessed.  So Oikawa decided to write his own little essay, completely ignoring the 'dangerous' part of it and deciding that if headmaster Akaashi wanted to read the 'dangers' of Amortentia, he could read the past 3 or 4 essays Oikawa has already wrote him.</p><p>Was this really a punishment?  It felt more like a humiliating experience, to be remind Oikawa of his past self.</p><p>
  <em>'Without Amortentia, potions itself would not have developed, plateauing the whole study.  Amortentia is the first potion in history to use more than half of it's ingredients as muggle items despite it being the most powerful love potion in existence.'</em>
</p><p>Was this a good idea?  Oikawa wasn't too sure.  He just wished Iwaizumi would quit turning around every five minutes to check on Oikawa to see how he was doing.  Oikawa wasn't a child.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Ushijima </strong>- found himself writing quite a bit, by the time they only had 1 more hour to complete he was already proof reading.  Asahi was to his right, Kenma was behind him and Daichi was to left, so no one was really distracting him.  Tendou was too far from his peripheral vision to get him to turn, but he did hope Tendou was doing well on the essay as well.</p><p>Yes, Tendou and him have had sex other times after their first time.  No, Ushijima did not know exactly what it was that he was doing.  But Tendou seemed to like it, and it felt good to Ushijima as well, so he didn't exactly see the harm in it.</p><p>
  <em>What are physical effects Amortentia can have on the body?</em>
</p><p>Ushijima ended up making more than the standard 3 points, pointing out each organ that took a big effect, the nervous system and the muscles that lost the most control over the body.  His essay was about 3 parchments long, both sides covered.</p><p>'No more, no less,' was what the headmaster said, so for the last 30 minutes Ushijima was sitting there quietly, staring into space and waiting patiently.  He would glance down at his essay occasionally, wondering if he could improve it more, but this would be the 6th time he was reading it over.  What else could he improve?</p><p>
  <em>'Amortentia tends to take complete dominance over the brain over every other organ with a single drop.  Once the Amortentia has taken it's effect, the first thing seen to happen is a shut down in the cerebellum, the whole body now under the control of the maker of the potion.  It takes approximately 1-2 minutes for the potion to spread throughout the body, the limbic system becoming the next target.  The emotions of the victim is now under the total authority of the owner, manipulating the next major organ, the heart.'</em>
</p><p>3 hours was too long.  Everyone else seemed to be writing though, so that meant that Ushijima was probably just fast.  At least he could have some quiet time to himself, only the sound of quill scratching the paper to be his background noise.</p><p>In the last 20 minutes the supervising teacher switched to headmaster Akaashi again, watching them closely and making sure either no one was cheating or everyone was behaving.  Probably both?</p><p>Ushijima just hoped Tendou wasn't stressing out too much about this essay, and he hoped that he had a simple question that Tendou knew how to answer.  It wasn't that Tendou was incompetent, but a time schedule might be getting to him, and Tendou missed a lot of school (25% of the curriculum to be exact), so if it was a question purely based on facts, then Tendou might find it a little difficult.</p><p>"15 minutes," headmaster Akaashi announced, tapping his wand gently on the desk.  "Start proof reading."</p><p> </p><p><strong>Tendou </strong>- couldn't concentrate.  He really couldn't concentrate no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't concentrate.  It wasn't because his ass was stinging, and it wasn't because he didn't know how to answer the question.</p><p>It was too quiet.  Way too quiet.  All he could hear was the sound of the clock and the quill swerving on the papers of everyone.  He could hear everything yet nothing at all and his mind was moving around with every noise that appeared.<br/>He could hear the students who just finished their first half of the midterms outside now, chatting.  He could hear the mice scurrying around in the walls.  He could hear the ghosts whooshing from one end of the hallway to the other.</p><p>Tendou forgets sometimes just how good his senses were that when times like this occurred he wasn't sure what to do.</p><p>It wasn't like he could block out the sound completely, he needed to write.  But he couldn't excuse himself either without explanation.  All he could do now was suck it up and hope he can finish the essay to at least get part marks.</p><p>
  <em>Should Amortentia stay in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry curriculum?</em>
</p><p>An opinion essay.  Ushijima wasn't fond of these types of essays, he's told Tendou before.  Because there was no right or wrong answer, the only thing that you had to do in these sorts of essays was prove your point, the conclusion wasn't that important.  This was ideal for Tendou because he didn't know too many 'facts' per se, but he was quite confident in his opinon.</p><p><em>'In order to benefit from Hogwarts fully, the teaching of Amortentia is crucial.  However, a demonstration of making Amortentia, if to be done, should take a considerable amount of precautions and </em> <em>legislations.  To make Amortentia apart of the curriculum, there should be an openness to the potential consequences and preparation for any possible outcomes whether it affects students or fellow staff.'</em></p><p>Tendou bit his lip as he continued writing, shaking his hand to get the cramps out.  If he looked around, everyone was still writing too despite only having maybe 5 minutes left.  Tendou couldn't help but glance at Ushijima, giggling to himself when he saw he was the only one sitting there quietly, waiting for the time to be up.  Of course only Ushijima could possibly sit in silence for so long.</p><p>He sort of wished Ushijima and him were sitting beside each other so he could tease him a little bit.  If Kenma looked up and inspected the back of Ushijima's neck, he'd probably be surprised to see hand prints and scratch marks.  Tendou only promised he wasn't going to leave any hickeys.</p><p>"Time's up," headmaster Akaashi announced, waving his wand and taking everyone's essay, levitating them to him, stacking them in his hand.  Some people were still writing before he took them all, but he didn't seem to care that much.</p><p>"Thank you, boys.  You're all dismissed."</p><p> </p><p>Everyone left that classroom either dead or barely alive.  3 hours in silence, writing about whatever it was headmaster Akaashi thought they needed to learn from, it was really dejecting.</p><p>"How was it?"  Daichi asked as all 16 of them started walking down the hall, going to the dining hall since it was about lunch time.  Everyone deserved a very good meal after a punishment midterm like that.</p><p>"I hope," Akaashi was the one to say something, sighing softly.  He looked the most distressed out of all of them for some reason.  "Amortentia is taken out of the curriculum for good."</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is the official last chapter of The Love Potion of The Century!   Yay!!!<br/>Thank you so much to everyone who has read this first part of the series.  I'm grateful because this is my first long fic and it seemed like quite a few people enjoyed it which makes me so so happy!  I hope you'll join me in the second book and anticipate a lot from me!</p><p>What to expect in the second story :<br/>~ Bokuto's parents vs. Akaashi's parents<br/>~ Fluff and angst (more angst than this story at least &gt;.&lt;)<br/>~ Tsukishima's homophobic father<br/>~ Tsukiyama's lowkey toxic relationship (the foundation of it anyway)<br/>~ Tendou's first full moons without Ushijima<br/>~ Some first times ;)<br/>~ Kenma finding out Kuroo is Tetsurou (?)<br/>~ Asanoya fluff because we need more of that &lt;3<br/>~ Hinata getting his first kiss XD<br/>~ Iwaoi and their friendship turning into lowkey the healthiest relationship out of everyone<br/>~ Daichi trying to understand the muggle world for his boyfriend<br/>~ Much more focus on everyone's relationship in general, their growth and of course magic~!~ XD</p><p>The next 2 chapters are 'bonus chapters', so I hope you enjoy those as well!  Please join me for the next story of the series as well though.  Thank you again for reading this story till now and I hope I can give a good deliverance for the next one!! &lt;3&lt;3&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0044"><h2>44. Christmas At The Akaashi's</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I asked for everyone's votes and the first winner is.....</p><p>Bokuaka!  They only won by a vote or two by the second place ship :D  I hope you'll enjoy this little bonus chapter (which has nothing really to do with the actual plot for this story or the second.  Just some extra fluff to brighten your day!)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christmas at Hogwarts was usually festive, yet empty.  The classrooms and halls were decorated and everyone was in the holiday spirit.  The feasts in the dining hall were getting bigger, the desserts certainly more sweet.  Even the sour ghosts that roamed the halls at night were in a happier mood this time of year.  <br/>
The best part though, was that during the Christmas break you could go home for a full 2 weeks!  All the students were excited as they packed their bags, talking about the different things they were going to do once they got home, each one bragging about the plans their parents made, the extended family they were going to see.</p><p>Even though Bokuto loved the aesthetic, Christmas was just a bit of a reminder that Bokuto's family situation was a little different from everyone else's.</p><p>"You can come over.  You know my dad doesn't mind, right?"  Kuroo reassured Bokuto for maybe the tenth time that day, but Bokuto just shook his head.  They were in the dining hall, Kuroo with his luggage and cozy in his big winter jacket and a scarf, saying bye to Bokuto before leaving.  Everywhere so far Bokuto has spent holiday breaks alone at Hogwarts, and every year he didn't mind that much.  It's not like he was in danger.</p><p>"Nah, I'm good," Bokuto waved Kuroo off.  "I think I'll just work on some spells or something.  You know, gotta bring my mark up for the year," Bokuto chuckled, but Kuroo didn't show any signs of amusement.<br/>
They both knew the real reason why Bokuto didn't come over to Kuroo's apartment for the holidays was because Kuroo actually didn't have space for Bokuto to be there.  There wasn't that much food (for two teenage boys at least) and Kuroo's dad would've insisted on buying Bokuto a gift despite not having the money to afford it.  Bokuto didn't want to be that kind of burden on the Kuroo family, so he would rather just stay at Hogwarts.  Kuroo didn't want to push him, but he knew someone like Bokuto would get lonely easily, so he always asked multiple times.  It wasn't wrong to accept an invitation.</p><p>"If you're sure," Kuroo ended up saying, his train about to leave in a few minutes.  "But if you change your mind, just send me an owl, alright?  I'll even lay out a separate futon for you," Kuroo told him but Bokuto just laughed, waving at Kuroo as he started leaving the dining hall.  Kuroo gave him one final wave before disappearing Bokuto's vision completely leaving Bokuto alone with his newest edition of manga that he borrowed from Nishinoya.  He wasn't <em>actually </em>going to study.</p><p>Kuroo was right in knowing that Bokuto got lonely easily, especially during a time of year where it was about family and gathering together.  But Bokuto didn't want to impose on other family's celebration, even if it was his best friend.  Like everyone else, Kuroo didn't see his dad for 10 months in a whole year.  It was a bit unfair to show up to his house and take their bonding time away.<br/>
Even if Bokuto really, really did want to join in on a family Christmas.</p><p>"Bokuto-san!"</p><p>The voice was making Bokuto's heart flutter, so naturally it was Akaashi.  Bokuto's eyes widened when he saw Akaashi running towards him, suitcase in hand, wrapped in a cute cashmere jacket, a scarf and earmuffs that were coincidentally the same colours as Bokuto's hair.  Akaashi's train had left earlier that day though, so he was shocked to see him there.</p><p>"Akaashi?"  Bokuto stood up from the table, watching as Akaashi stopped in front of him, panting softly.  He put his hands on Akaashi's cheeks, feeling how cold he was, the tip of his nose red that it made Bokuto lean down and kiss it.  "What're you doing?  Aren't you suppose to be home?"</p><p>Akaashi looked up at him, nodding his head.  It seemed like Akaashi ran quite a bit because he's been trying to catch his breath for a few minutes now.  Bokuto waited for Akaashi to breath normally again, in the meantime warming Akaashi back up by rubbing his cheeks and forehead, then taking his hands and breathing down on them.  Akaashi didn't even have his gloves on anymore.</p><p>"My mom," Akaashi gulped, holding Bokuto's hands.  "My mom is out for a business trip during the holidays.  You can come stay at my place.  My dad already said yes."</p><p>The offer made Bokuto still, having to process it for a bit.  Staying at Akaashi's place?  Where Akaashi lived?  Like, Akaashi slept and ate and studied comfortably, his actual home and not just a dormitory that he resided in.<br/>
He would see Akaashi's room?  The thought was too exciting yet scary, Bokuto's shocked face stayed on his face instead.</p><p>"Go pack.  My dad will send us a ride."  At this, Bokuto's eyes widened in realization, shaking his head quickly.  "Wait!  Wait, no, I can't," Bokuto laughed nervously, feeling his stomach drop when Akaashi's face fell.  It wasn't like he didn't want to stay over, but staying with his boyfriend Akaashi's house meant also being in headmaster Akaashi's house - headmaster and father of his boyfriend.  A double threat.</p><p>"I don't want to impose," Bokuto shook his head again before kissing Akaashi on the forehead.  "It's fine.  Go have fun with your family, I'll be okay here.  I'll see you again in 2 weeks anyway, right?"  Akaashi's fallen face didn't lift up, shifting under Bokuto's gaze.  Bokuto wasn't sure what Akaashi was thinking until he opened his mouth again, looking up at Bokuto in a way he's only ever seen once in a while.</p><p>"But I wanted to spend Christmas with you, Bokuto-san."</p><p>Now, when Akaashi's eyes were begging and his tone was like a child, when Akaashi's words were cute enough to make Bokuto's heart pop - how was he supposed to say no?</p><p> </p><p>This was the first time Bokuto's ever been at the Akaashi residence and the first thing he noticed was that the house was big as fuck.</p><p>It wasn't a mansion, but it wasn't small enough to be qualified as a house either.  It was like a mix of a house and a mansion - and hansion?  Or a mouse?  Bokuto would think of a name later, but basically it was much bigger than where Bokuto lived and right in the middle of the wizarding city that Akaashi lived in.  They were hours away from Hogwarts now, so it was gonna be hard to run if Bokuto embarrassed himself - and Bokuto was prone to embarrassing himself.</p><p>"Wow," Bokuto exhaled softly, holding his small duffel bag of clothes and toiletries.  Akaashi said he could lend Bokuto things if ever he needed something, which Bokuto thought wasn't a bad idea, but when Akaashi said it Bokuto thought he would give him maybe the hotel soap that everyone stole.  Now that he thought about it, did wizards have hotels too?  Or was that solely a muggle thing?</p><p>"Bokuto-san?"  Akaashi got his attention, holding his hand out so Bokuto could take it.  Bokuto gave him a shaky smile, nodding at Akaashi and taking his hand.  The Akaashis even had a fancy door with a big ass doorbell despite Akaashi having to wave his wand in order to open it (Bokuto assumed that was the key or something).  He gulped hard, unsure what else to expect from the big house and the magic that was located literally everywhere.</p><p>"Welcome home, young master Akaashi."</p><p>So Akaashi had house elves.  That was great.  It was great and Bokuto didn't see a flaw in that.  Only that it wasn't just house elves, he also had maids and butlers just standing there, bowing every time Akaashi passed by.  <br/>
On instinct, Bokuto bowed back to every single one of them.  Sure, he was a little slow academically, but he was also raised with manners.  And each time he bowed, Akaashi would squeeze his hand.</p><p>"You don't have to bow back, Bokuto-san," Akaashi whispered, but Bokuto couldn't help it.  He wasn't used to this life and the thought of having to get used to it because of Akaashi was making his collar tighten.</p><p>Bokuto's attire wasn't exactly blending with everything either.  He was wearing a plain black jacket that was kinda thin, but he never complained since he was always jumping around to keep warm.  His face was covered by the collar of the jacket, but his ears were freezing to the point of turning red.  Akaashi scolded him for that, but quickly promised a hot chocolate once they got to his bedroom.</p><p>"Is your dad here?"  Bokuto asked, looking over at Akaashi as they walked down the long hallway, passing by several doors and portraits.  Akaashi's whole family tree was on the wall, each big success after the other, presidents of the Ministry of Magic, board directors, spell creators and authors of major textbooks used worldwide.  Bokuto felt himself shrinking in their painted eyes.</p><p>"My dad?"  Akaashi's was looking forward, but Bokuto could see Akaashi's small smirk, lifting from the corner of his mouth.  "He's gone too till next week.  It's just us right now."</p><p> </p><p>"Ahh, that's nice," Bokuto hummed softly as he sipped the hot chocolate one of the house elves served them, thanking him multiple times, but the house elf looked more confused than flustered.  Bokuto knew the history of them, but he didn't realize that it was true.  They probably didn't experience too much hospitality from Akaashi's mom who was the only Akaashi family member to be at home during the school year.</p><p>Akaashi's represented him quite well.  Neat and tidy, nothing hung up, no photos and a big bookshelf on one of the walls with textbooks and memoirs.  The whole top shelf was Akaashi's mom's books, each one first limited edition (Bokuto could read it on the spine) and Bokuto was sure Akaashi has read each and every one.</p><p>"This is my first time in your room," Bokuto commented, sitting on the floor even though Akaashi said it was fine to sit on the bed.  Bokuto was dirty from the outside and he was 100% sure that Akaashi's bed sheets were made out of some rare Egyptian silk or some shit.  That's what rich people used anyway.</p><p>Even though Bokuto had taken his shoes off and dusted the snow off his pants, he still didn't feel anywhere near clean enough to be in Akaashi's room, where everything was tidied up and organized.  Not one speck of dust in sight.</p><p>"Don't think too much about it," Akaashi joined him on the floor, sitting crossed legged in front of him, drinking his own tea.  "The house elves clean my room while I'm gone.  My mom hates dirt."  Of course she does.  She probably saw Bokuto as a speck of dirt that needed to be cleaned up too.</p><p>"Bokuto-san?"  Akaashi got his attention again, Bokuto's eyes snapping from Akaashi's bookshelf to Akaashi, chuckling nervously when he saw Akaashi was looking at him.  It was probably obvious that Bokuto was in awe of the Akaashi hansion and how Akaashi's room was the size of the Hogwarts dormitory that fit 5 students and gave each of them a bed, a drawer and a side table.  Akaashi's bedroom might've been bigger.</p><p>"You've been kinda quiet," Akaashi said making Bokuto laugh, realizing that he must've been quite obvious when something was bothering him.  One of the down sides of being a loud person, it would seem.</p><p>"Ah, it's just," Bokuto shrugged, looking around the room and motioning at it.  "I dunno.  I wasn't expecting this!  It's amazing, Akaashi.  Maybe I should've visited your place a lot sooner."  Akaashi nodded slowly at this, scooting a little closer to Bokuto until their knees touched.  Bokuto gulped, looking down to Akaashi's lips, then his neck, then back up at his eyes.  Akaashi raised an eyebrow at him.</p><p>"You're not...thinking of anything else?"</p><p>Of course Bokuto was.  He was a simple man after all, wasn't he?  But Akaashi was important to him and he wasn't going to just throw himself at him like an animal or something.  Akaashi was like a goddess - beautiful and not to be easily touched.  If Bokuto could put Akaashi in a museum, he wouldn't hesitate.  He would be the masterpiece in the middle, attracting everyone with his stunning elegance.  How delicate his features were, sometimes Bokuto was scared to touch him in fear of breaking him despite the light feathering of his fingertips, attempting to simply make him shiver.<br/>
Akaashi was really nice to look at was what Bokuto was thinking.</p><p>"Akaashi-""It's cold, don't you think, Bokuto-san?"  Akaashi said in a low voice, leaning to give Bokuto a peck on the lips.  "I'm gonna go tell the house elves to heat up a bath for us."  Akaashi stood up, leaving his tea on the ground and started to head to the door, Bokuto's eyes snapping up and following Akaashi as he was leaving the room.</p><p>"'U-Us'?"  Bokuto repeated in a loud voice, Akaashi turning around and giving Bokuto a small smirk with a nod.  "Yes, Bokuto-san.  Us."</p><p> </p><p>Has Akaashi seen Bokuto naked before?  No.</p><p>Has Akaashi thought of Bokuto naked before?  Fuck yes.</p><p>Thighs.  Biceps.  Calves.  Chest.  Quads.  Hands.  Shoulders.  Abs.</p><p><em>Ass</em>.</p><p>Akaashi has thought of it all.  No, he has not expressed such a desire to many people, but he hasn't kept it a secret either.  He's bought magazines, he's researched on how to do it before, and even though he was way too embarrassed to buy anything for himself, maybe there would be something in his house to help him out.  <br/>
The only thing now was convincing Bokuto he wasn't a piece of glass.</p><p>"Woah..." Bokuto's jaw dropped as Akaashi stripped, slowly pulling his sweater up, revealing his abdomen and chest, then pulling the sweater over his head.  Bokuto was shirtless too, and in Akaashi's opinion was much more worth ogling over.  But he couldn't lie and say that Bokuto fawning over him like this wasn't flattering.  It made him a lot more confident, that was for sure.</p><p>"Bokuto-san?  Are you drooling?"  Akaashi teased, Bokuto wiping his chin to check but there was nothing there.  He poked Akaashi in the rib making Akaashi flinch and quickly back away.  <br/>
"Not fair, Akaashi," Bokuto whined, taking off his pants next.  "It's not my fault you look...so," Bokuto gestured to Akaashi's body, Akaashi having to hold in a smile.  "<em>Hot</em>."  </p><p>Akaashi wanted to comment back on Bokuto's body, his eyes trailing down as Bokuto revealed his legs, now only his boxers separating Akaashi from the feast his been starving for for maybe a few months now.  Ever since he's visited Bokuto in the muggle world and saw him in a tank top and shorts - yeah, Akaashi was equally as whipped.</p><p>"Sorry.  I'm being weird, right?"  </p><p>Bokuto was surprisingly more flustered than Akaashi expected, though he sort of wasn't surprised either.  Even if it was by a year, Bokuto took Akaashi's age into consideration when it came to them dating (though he seemed to completely forget about it when they talked about school) so he never pushed Akaashi into lewd make out sessions or ass grabbing.<br/>
That was all done by Akaashi.</p><p>"No.  I like Bokuto-san's body too," Akaashi made eye contact with Bokuto, pinning his stare and making sure Bokuto wasn't looking away as he took off the lower half of his clothes, now standing there completely naked.</p><p>It was embarrassing.  He wanted to cover up quickly and make sure this moment was locked in both their brains forever.  The way Bokuto turned pink, trying hard not to look down even though Akaashi wasn't even moving, almost like he was waiting for Bokuto to look - that was what was making it worth it.<br/>
Because he knew Bokuto wanted it too.  But Bokuto was nicer than everyone assumed.</p><p>"Don't gawk, Bokuto-san," Akaashi said innocently, making his way to the bathtub and hopping in before looking back at Bokuto, curling a finger at him indicating he wanted Bokuto to hurry up and join him.</p><p>"Are you just gonna stand there?  Or am I gonna sit here wet and alone forever?"</p><p> </p><p>Neither one expected they would be sitting on opposite ends of the bathtub, and neither one probably wanted that to happen.  It just...did.</p><p>It started off with Bokuto stripping completely before stepping in and joining Akaashi, trying his best not to touch him or else something else might happen and Bokuto would end up regretting it for the rest of his life.<br/>
But then Akaashi's thigh would brush against him, and then Bokuto's hand would tap Akaashi's stomach, then Akaashi's calf would touch Bokuto's and it got to too much that Bokuto just ended up curling himself in one corner of the tub, trying his hardest not to make any physical contact with Akaashi, which might've been a little more offensive than he intended.</p><p>"I'm not gonna break," Akaashi mumbled, giving up out of embarrassment when Bokuto went over to the whole other end of the bathtub after Akaashi <em>intentionally </em>grabbed Bokuto's inner thigh - Bokuto wasn't even the instigator!  It was Akaashi yet Bokuto was still holding back.  It didn't make any sense.</p><p>"I know.  Akaashi is the strongest person ever!"  Bokuto responded quickly, hoping flattery would get him somewhere, but Akaashi still wasn't looking at him.  Bokuto was starting to sulk like a little kid and even though usually that would work on Akaashi, this time it didn't do so well.  Akaashi was still looking out to the door, just wishing that he could disappear right now.</p><p>"Then I don't get why you're being like this," Akaashi added softly, squeezing his thighs to his chest, crossing his arms over his knees.  "It's not like I hate it.  If it's Bokutoo-san then I like it all."</p><p>The comment made both of them heat up and not just from the bath.  Bokuto knew Akaashi didn't hate it either, not with all the hints he's been dropping - though it wasn't hard to confuse that sort of stupidity either - but this was rather a problem of Bokuto's alone really.  To have Akaashi tainted so easily, what kind of boyfriend would allow that?  Akaashi was so perfect and pure, wasn't he?  And they were still young, Akaashi was still young. They had plenty of time, Bokuto didn't want to spoil Akaashi's first time just because they were a little impatient.</p><p>"Are you insecure, Bokuto-san?"  Akaashi ended up asking in a frustrated tone after several minutes of silence.  Bokuto flinched, not being used to Akaashi in this state, but it seemed that if Bokuto was too quiet, Akaashi had to fill in.  "I did research!  I know what to do!""Hey!  I'll let you know, I have lots of skill in that way," Bokuto argued back quickly.  "Or at least I think I do...""Then what's the big deal?"  Akaashi groaned, feeling himself cringe as he was practically begging for intimacy with Bokuto.  He looked desperate and horny, and though both of those were true, it didn't make it any less shameful. <br/>
Bokuto was supposed to be the one begging him, not the other way around.</p><p>"Hey, Akaashi," Bokuto crawled over to Akaashi, the water swishing as he got to Akaashi's side of the tub, hesitantly putting his hand on Akaashi's knee to make Akaashi look up.  "It's not that I don't want to, but-" Akaashi squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head quickly.</p><p>"If you're gonna say you'd rather have a girl, don't!"  Akaashi demanded quickly, covering his ears.  He's thought of this before, Bokuto preferring girls over guys.  And maybe he was actually Akaashi-sexual.  That didn't mean Bokuto didn't think the male body was disgusting.</p><p>"What?"  Bokuto's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, watching as Akaashi blocked out any sound, trying to get him to remove his hands from his ears.  Akaashi had a tight grip, but Bokuto managed to pull them off, Akaashi gasping as it turned into Bokuto holding his hands, looking up at him and loosening up.  His whole body went from tensed and curled up to relaxed, his legs dropping till his legs were down and on either side of Bokuto, his breathing going back to normal.  <br/>
Nothing was awkward right now.  They were looking at each other, having a conversation.</p><p>"First off, I wouldn't rather 'have a girl'.  I love <em>you</em>, Akaashi, okay?  All of you," Bokuto reassured him with a firm, confident voice, adding a kiss on his forehead for good measure.  Akaashi wasn't able to respond before Bokuto carried on.</p><p>"And secondly, it's not that I don't want to, but I just don't think it's something we should be doing right now.  Even though I want to," Bokuto added quickly not wanting to make Akaashi insecure about the issue.  "I <em>really</em> want to.  But let's wait, say, a year?  Does that sound fair?"  Bokuto emphasized the 'really', wanting Akaashi to know that it was on his mind too, but he didn't want them to do it when they weren't ready.  It seemed wrong, it didn't matter what ages they lost their virginity. <br/>
As long as it was too each other, right?</p><p>Akaashi had to actually think about it.  When he thought about the reasoning behind it and how Bokuto admitted he was holding back too, it made him feel a little bit better.  This was for both of them, not just because it was wrong or weird.  They both wanted to, but waiting was a better idea to make sure both of them were 110% ready.<br/>
Akaashi nodded slowly.</p><p>"Thank you, Akaashi," Bokuto chuckled, leaning down to give Akaashi a quick kiss on the lips, nothing too sensual.  Akaashi told himself it was so Bokuto wouldn't accidentally get hard.</p><p>"You're the best boyfriend, you know"?"  Akaashi's straight face softened a bit, leaning up again to peck Bokuto on the lips.  It was times like this where the age gap was evident, when Bokuto would take a bit of responsibility.  <br/>
Behind closed doors, where no one could see it, Bokuto was taking as much care of Akaashi as Akaashi took care of Bokuto.</p><p>"You're mistaken, Bokuto-san.  You are the best boyfriend."</p><p> </p><p>"Let me dry your hair, Akaashi!"  Bokuto exclaimed excitedly as the two got out of the bath, back into Akaashi's room, towels around their waist on on their head.  Bokuto was back to his normal, loud self, not holding back anymore in Akaashi's big fancy house, jumping around excitedly and touching anything he wanted.</p><p>"Sit, sit," Bokuto sat on the edge of Akaashi's bed, opening his legs and pointing on the ground between him.  Akaashi went over, sitting down between Bokuto's legs, Bokuto giggling excitedly rubbing Akaashi's hair with the towel, drying his hair off.  It felt nice because Bokuto was doing it, he had to admit.  Without thinking, Akaashi leaned his head on Bokuto's thigh.</p><p>"I feel bad," Bokuto said, Akaashi unable to see the expression he was wearing but his voice did sound quite disappointed.  "I didn't get you a gift since we weren't allowed at Hogsmeade this year.  I'm sorry Akaashi.  I didn't even get you anything for your birthday either.  It must suck, huh?"  </p><p>Akaashi actually didn't mind not getting gifts considering that amount of money under his father's name.  He could buy whatever he wanted as long as he asked, Akaashi would probably get it.</p><p>"Don't worry about it," Akaashi yawned, shaking his head when Bokuto was finished drying his head.  He stood up and turned around, taking the towel on Bokuto's head and started to dry his hair now.  Bokuto wrapped his arms around Akaashi's waist, pulling him closer.  "I got you a gift though, I hope you don't mind."</p><p>Akaashi took the towel off Bokuto, looking at Bokuto with his hair down and wet.  It was bad for his health.</p><p>"What did you get me?"  Bokuto asked excitedly, looking up at Akaashi, Akaashi putting his hands on Bokuto's shoulders to steady himself.  "You'll find out on Christmas," Akaashi retorted back making Bokuto pout, but Akaashi quickly pulled away before any other questions could be asked.  He went to his closet and got some clothes for himself and he could hear Bokuto going to his duffel bag, taking clothes out as well.  They changed into some pajamas, but Akaashi decided to be a little more risky and just put on an over sized shirt with briefs while Bokuto had a full on pajama set with cute little owls wearing Santa hats.  Apparently it was Kuroo's and his matching pajamas, Kuroo's being cats instead of owls.</p><p>"Oh?  What's this?"  Bokuto went over, walking to Akaashi's desk, surprised that there actually was a photo there despite everything else in his room being plain.  It was a regular Polaroid - it wasn't charmed to move, there was nothing fancy about it.  Just a regular printed Polaroid photo hanging on the front of Akaashi's empty desk so if you sat down you'd be looking right at it.</p><p>It was a Polaroid of Akaashi and Bokuto, both of them smiling widely at the camera.</p><p>"Don't you remember?"  Akaashi was looking at the photo too, standing beside Bokuto.  "Over the summer when you and Kuroo took me to your world.  Kuroo said he only had one 'shot' left," Akaashi reminded Bokuto, even though Akaashi wasn't exactly sure how the camera worked, but Kuroo told them he would use his last photo on them two so they could have a good memory.<br/>
Bokuto gave the Polaroid to Akaashi.</p><p>"You still have it.""Of course," Akaashi said, touching Bokuto's face on the photo before looking up at him.  "It's my most precious possession."</p><p>Bokuto could feel his eyes watering, quickly putting the photo back before turning to give Akaashi a hug.  His arms tight around Akaashi, burying his nose into his neck inhaling deeply, Akaashi having to bend his back a bit with how much force Bokuto was putting.<br/>
Bokuto needed a hug more than anything right now, so Akaashi didn't ask anything and hugged him back.</p><p> </p><p>"Want me to read you a story?"<br/>
"Okay.  Just nothing from your textbook."  Akaashi laughed at Bokuto's condition, nodding as he browsed through his bookshelf, choosing a book to read to Bokuto before bed.  He chose one, going over to the bed where Bokuto was already under the sheets, waiting for Akaashi to join him.  Akaashi had to bite back a smile when he saw Bokuto cuddling against his pillows, curling up in bed.<br/>
If they ever lived together, would this be his view every night?  The thought definitely made his stomach twist.</p><p>Akaashi joined Bokuto on the bed, sitting next to him and let Bokuto move to rest his head on Akaashi's lap.  Akaashi's hand went to Bokuto's hair, petting him gently as the other held the book up, clearing his throat as he started to read.</p><p>"'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' by Lewis Carrol," Akaashi read the title out, seeing Bokuto smiling on his lap.  "Chapter one.  Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book', thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?'"</p><p>Akaashi tried changing his voice whenever it was a new character, but after a while he was running out of voices so he just stuck to his normal voice.  Bokuto wasn't commenting on the story that Akaashi by the end of chapter one looked over to see if Bokuto was asleep.  To his surprise, Bokuto's eyes were wide open.</p><p>"You're actually listening?"  Akaashi asked in surprise, Bokuto looking up at him and smiling with a nod.  "Of course!  Akaashi's voice is so soothing and nice, I don't wanna interrupt."  Akaashi couldn't help but smile, leaning down to give Bokuto a soft kiss on his temple, letting the touch linger for a moment making both of them turn pink.  Him and Bokuto on the bed together should be making them more flustered, shouldn't it?  But instead, Akaashi felt more at peace, all warm and fuzzy inside.</p><p>"I'll continue then," Akaashi said before continuing the story, reading the next chapter, stroking Bokuto's hair.  Bokuto would ask a question from time to time, asking what a word meant or if Akaashi would've regretted crying so much that he thought he should be drowning in his own tears.  It sort of made Akaashi proud that Bokuto was actually paying attention.</p><p>A few chapters later though, Bokuto's breathing started to even out, his eyes closed and mouth wide open.  Akaashi admired him, looking down and closing his book, placing it on the side table.  He had to carefully shift Bokuto over so he was laying down properly on his side of the bed, Akaashi tucking him in and making Bokuto as comfortable as he could.  Bokuto started shifting in his sleep though, pushing the blanket off that Akaashi giggled at the movement.  His boyfriend really was the cutest.</p><p>Akaashi opened the drawer of his side table, taking out a small box.  Even though Christmas wasn't until a few days, just like Bokuto, Akaashi was a little impatient as well.  Maybe it was Bokuto's influence.</p><p>He opened the box taking out a simple silver bracelet, taking Bokuto's left hand and clicking it on his wrist.  On the pendant of the bracelet it had engraved "Keiji" in an owl outline.  Akaashi pulled out a matching one, wearing it on his left wrist, the exact same one except it had "Koutarou" engraved in the middle of the owl's tummy.  </p><p>Matching, non-magic, sentimental and representing Bokuto quite well.  It was with the help of Kuroo a bit by suggesting getting him a muggle gift, but Akaashi thought of the rest.</p><p>"Merry Christmas, Koutarou," Akaashi shivered when he said Bokuto's name, not being able to handle it when Bokuto could actually hear him.  He kissed Bokuto's nose before wrapping an arm around his waist and placing his head on the pillow next to Bokuto's, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep.</p><p>On Christmas, Akaashi would just ask Bokuto to join him for a walk as a gift.  And hopefully, Bokuto would actually notice their new couples bracelet when he woke up.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0045"><h2>45. Adopting Daichi's Gryffindors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Second place is.....</p><p>Daisuga!!!  Ushiten was a very close third, but Daisuga won!!  I hope that this last chapter will be okay with everyone, I love Daisuga so I hope we can all appreciate the ship &gt;&lt;  Thank you again to everyone, I hope we can all enjoy this last bonus chapter together.<br/>Lots of love &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sugawara knew Daichi was head of the Gryffindor house.  He knew Daichi was a good leader.  He even knew people outside of Gryffindor admired Daichi.  So when they started dating, Sugawara knew it was inevitable that people would gawk and stare when Daichi was holding hands with a Slytherin, a quiet outcast who didn't have any interest in getting involved in any student councils or clubs besides Quidditch.<br/>
Sugawara and Daichi were quite different, he knew this.  He just assumed that when him and Daichi started dating, it didn't mean he was dating the whole Gryffindor house.</p><p>"I'm telling you, it doesn't make any sense!"  Kageyama yelled at Hinata, who right now was having a major breakdown when Kageyama told him that there was no way that werewolves were more powerful than dragons.  Hinata had other opinions though.</p><p>"<em>I </em>met one, didn't I?"  Hinata screamed back at him, his eyes wide and red at Kageyama, clenching his fists.  "And I'm telling you, sure a dragon can spew out fire and fly around, but a werewolf is literally a man-eating machine!  It won't stop until you're <em>dead</em>.  With a dragon the minute it has another target it'll move on.  Don't you get it?"  Kageyama groaned loudly, slamming his fist on the table.</p><p>"Dragons are stronger.  End of discussion."<br/>
"Werewolves!  Bet you can't fight a werewolf, can you?"<br/>
"Dragons!"<br/>
"Werewolves!"<br/>
"Dragons!"<br/>
"Werewolves!"</p><p>Sugawara watched them nervously, going back and forth between the two, trying to get them to calm down, but it seemed that no one really cared about what their project was actually about - which was unicorns.</p><p>"Guys, maybe you should-""If dragons are so powerful then when I see your patronus it better be a damn dragon!"  Hinata gritted his teeth at Kageyama.  Kageyama just huffed, rolling his eyes.  "It doesn't work like that, you dumbass.  No wonder you think werewolves are stronger - you don't even know how magic works!"</p><p>Apparently every Friday night Daichi helped Kageyama and Hinata with their homework, sometimes Nishinoya and Tanaka too.  If Daichi was busy then it was Kuroo who would fill in, but there were times when no one was available and they would skip Kageyama and Hinata's Friday night homework help, but Daichi hated when they skipped it because Kageyama and Hinata would be behind in their studies all of a sudden.  <br/>
When Daichi asked Sugawara to just help them for one night, he didn't think it would be like this.</p><p>"I know how magic works!  You're the dumb one!"  Hinata shouted back, gripping his quill tightly.  "Are you saying that because I'm a half-blood?""I'm saying it because you're stupid, boke.  It has nothing to do with your blood."  Hinata screamed, hitting the table again and reached out to grab Kageyama, but Sugawara stopped him by holding the back of Hinata's collar.</p><p>"Hey!  You two!"  Sugawara screamed getting both their attentions, widening their eyes when sweet, quiet Sugawara raised his voice, angrily staring at both of them.  "I said I was gonna help with your homework but now you two are just fooling around!  You think you can pass by just yelling at each other?!"  Sugawara panted softly, Hinata shrinking back in his seat and Kageyama lowering his head, bot of them intimidated all of a sudden by Sugawara.  </p><p>Sugawara sighed, letting go of Hinata and calming himself down.  "Now," Sugawara's voice was back to his normal volume.  "Back to your project."</p><p>Daichi had to do this every Friday?  That was insane.  Sugawara was struggling to go through a few hours of this.  "Kageyama, you wrote that wrong.  It's spelled 'penal' not 'penile'."</p><p>After, when Daichi came to the Slytherin tower to pick Kageyama and Hinata up, he stayed behind a little to give Sugawara some candies, laughing nervously.  </p><p>"I'm sorry.  They gave you a headache, didn't they?"  Sugawara chuckled, shaking his head, and though it was kind of true, Sugawara didn't want Daichi to think that he couldn't handle a few Gryffindors.  They were important to Daichi too, so Sugawara would learn how to handle them.</p><p>"No, no.  They were just a little loud," Sugawara reassured him, leaning in to give Daichi a quick kiss on the lips, taking the candy.  "But I expect a big reward from you, yeah, Daichi-kun?"  Daichi blushed red, nodding enthusiastically in a way that made Sugawara giggle, winking at him before he closed the Slytherin door, sighing in bliss as he thought of just how lucky he was to have Daichi as his boyfriend.</p><p>Little did Sugawara know, however, that Kageyama and Hinata were just a taste of what Daichi actually had to deal with.</p><p> </p><p>"Sugawara-san!  Can I call you Suga-san?"</p><p>Nishinoya was louder than Hinata, which Sugawara originally thought was impossible but Nishinoya proved him wrong in a matter of minutes.  He kept screaming when he didn't have to, knocked down things with the wind that trailed after him when he ran around, and not to mention when he laughed the Earth shook - Daichi said he was the most powerful wizard he's met so far.</p><p>"Suga-san, look at this!  I got you a new wand.  Isn't it cool?  My dad said it wasn't that powerful and is used for tamed out wizards, but Daichi-san said you were actually really terrifying when you do magic so I think it'd suit you.  Don't you think so, Suga-san?"  Sugawara couldn't help but smile, reluctantly taking the wand since he thought it would be rude to refuse.</p><p>Apparently, Daichi talked about Sugawara.  The topic of him always got Daichi excited, and if something made Daichi happy then his little juniors were happy as well - especially Nishinoya for some reason, who now took after Sugawara. </p><p>It wasn't like Sugawara intentionally made Nishinoya attached to him.  Just one day after petting Nishinoya's head, he noticed that Nishinoya would do other things to get that sort of praise and attention, which Sugawara didn't mind giving him at all.  Nishinoya was a good kid after all.</p><p>"And at home, I have a much bigger broom!  It goes <em>'z</em><em>oom zoom'</em> whenever I ride it, and sometimes if I use a lot of force it'll make a <em>'whooshy whoosh' </em>sort of sound instead.  You should come over to my house over the summer break, I could show you!  You're a really good Quidditch player, you know?  You should be able to handle such a fast broom."</p><p>Daichi had mentioned he was surprised Nishinoya took such a liking to Sugawara, considering Nishinoya's hatred towards the Slytherin house, but Daichi appreciated a small opening for Nishinoya to realize not all Slytherins were bad.<br/>
So Sugawara took any opportunity to hang out with Nishinoya when it was convenient so Nishinoya could realize more that Slytherin was actually a good house despite the people that fell in.  They were all just playing a part anyway.</p><p>"Oi, Suga!"  Tendou called out from the other side of the hallway, waving at Sugawara.  Sugawara, of course, waved back, smiling at Tendou, but Nishinoya was already growling beside him, clenching his fists.  Sugawara sensed it early though, grabbing Nishinoya's arm before he could take his wand out and attack Tendou for no reason.</p><p>Tendou walked over to them, raising an eyebrow at Nishinoya and chuckling, looking between the two.  "Aw, that's cute.  You're babysitting Daichi's kids?"  Sugawara thought it was a funny joke.  <br/>
Nishinoya did not.</p><p>"Who're you calling a 'kid'?"  Nishinoya hissed at Tendou, glaring up at him, but Tendou just had his regular smirk on his face, leaning down to Nishinoya, which was probably the worst thing Tendou could've done.</p><p>"Who?  I'm pretty sure the one that looks like a kid, don't you think?"</p><p>Nishinoya raged, at him, yanking out of Sugawara's grip and trying to jump at Tendou, but Sugawara was quicker.  His reflex caught Nishinoya quickly, wrapping his arms around Nishinoya's waist and lifting him up while Nishinoya struggled in his grip, trying to get out.</p><p>"Suga-san, let go!  I'm gonna show this little bitch a piece of me!"  Tendou laughed loudly at Nishinoya's threat, cocking his head at Nishinoya as he watched Sugawara literally carrying him with ease.  "That's not gonna be a very big piece then, don't you think?"</p><p>Sugawara sighed, giving Tendou a disappointed look because he was clearly provoking Nishinoya.  Tendou just shrugged innocently, walking past them, Nishinoya still not being able to break out of Sugawara's arms, but Sugawara was holding him pretty tightly.  Tendou just waved at them, making sure to pet Nishinoya's hair fondly as he walked down the hallway.  <br/>
"See ya, kid.  Later, Suga."</p><p>When Tendou turned at the hallway Sugawara finally let go of Nishinoya, who was panting softly as he glared up at Sugawara, crossing his arms and pursing his lips.  "I could've handled him, you know?  You didn't have to hold me back.""I know."</p><p>The response took Nishinoya by surprise, his eyes widening and arms falling to his side.  "What?""I said I know."  Sugawara started walking again, looking back at Nishinoya and waiting for him to follow him.  Nishinoya stood there, a little dumbfounded at Sugawara's statement, unsure how to respond back.  Sugawara just smiled widely, even laughing a little bit.</p><p>"I know Noya can fight really well and is underestimated all the time.  That's why I held you back.  Doesn't that make sense?"</p><p>Later that day when Daichi met up with Sugawara after a full day of running around, Sugawara explained what happened and started to tell Daichi about what to do to make sure Nishinoya wouldn't get too agressive.</p><p>"You need to give him more praise," Sugawara said as Daichi nodded thoughtfully, his face showing that he was actually taking this to heart.  "He thinks he needs to prove himself all the time, but that isn't the case.  You need to tell him more that he's good enough and is fine on his own, even if he's smaller than a lot of people his age.  He's probably holding in how insecure he is about his height.""Ah, I see."  Daichi looked at the time, sighing softly and pouting when he noticed the Gryffindor curfew was coming up.</p><p>"Sorry, but I guess I have to go now," Daichi put his hands to Sugawara's hips, leaning in to give him a sweet kiss on the lips that Sugawara eagerly gave back, opening his mouth a bit to tease Daichi.  But they didn't make it too long, pulling away after a minute, Daichi adding one more peck to his forehead.</p><p>"Goodnight, Suga," Daichi bumped their noses together before walking off and away from the Slytherin tower, turning around every few minutes to wave to Sugawara.  Sugawara waited at the door, making sure Daichi actually turned to the Gryffindor side, giggling every time Daichi would blow him a kiss, pretending to catch it.  When Daichi was finally out of sight, Sugawara went back into the Slytherin tower, sighing blissfully.</p><p>At this rate, Sugawara was 100% confident he was going to die of a heart attack.</p><p> </p><p>"Tanaka Ryuunosuke, get <em>down </em>from that tower, or I swear to <em>god</em>."</p><p>Nishinonya was one thing.  Tanaka was another.  Putting them together, Sugawara didn't know how Daichi managed a whole group of these people.</p><p>Slytherins were bad, sure, but Gryffindors?  Motherfucking psychotic.</p><p>"He called you by your full name," Nishinoya hit Tanaka on his side, nodding his head down at Sugawara to Tanaka.  They thought it would be funny to play a few pranks and now the two were on the top of the Gryffindor tower with their brooms, at first laughing their asses off as they looked down at the ground, but now Sugawara looked pissed, glaring at them from the grass.</p><p>They thought it would be funny to steal Tsukishima's glasses.</p><p>"I'm really sorry about this, Tsukishima," Sugawara apologized, Tsukishima standing next to him and squinting up, probably trying to identify the thief.  Sugawara was filing in for Daichi as a captain for the Gryffindor team for practice today so Daichi could do head house things.  Bokuto was busy too, and even though Kuroo could've been able to lead, both Daich and Kuroo agreed it was better to stay as a regular player since they did agree that Kuroo and Daichi would switch out being captains every other year.  It wouldn't be fair to Daichi if Kuroo had extra slots of playing captain just because Daichi got a little bit busy.</p><p>"It's okay," Tsukishima replied, squinting harder at the top of the tower, but just sighed helplessly when he realized that this really wasn't doing anything.  Sugawara bit his lip, wanting to go after Tanaka and Nishinoya, but there were still problems on the ground.</p><p>"Woah, Kageyama!  Nice throw!  Whip it next time!"  Kogane yelled in the distance, the third years behind Sugawara fooling around once he had his back to them.  At first Sugawara would turn around and yell at them to calm down, but once the quaffle was in the air, no one wanted to stop.</p><p>"Hinata-boke!  Get off my broom!""Let's try riding it together, Kageyama," Hinata whined, and if Sugawara had the energy to turn around he would see Hinata trying to climb on the back of Kageyama's broom while Kageyama tried shaking him off.  Kogane would be laughing, watching them and clapping, but Sugawara's eyes were still on Nishinoya and Tanaka on the top of the tower, arguing whether they should get off and give Tsukishima's glasses back.</p><p>"Need help?"  Kuroo asked, patting his back.  Sugawara wanted to decline so badly.  He told Daichi he could handle his Quidditch team, told him it wasn't a big deal.  He's handled bullies and werewolves before - what more with a few Gryffindors?</p><p>"Can you please get Noya and Tanaka to give Tsukishima his glasses back, please?"  Sugawara requested desperately.  Kuroo grinned at him, nodding, mounting his broom and flying up to the tower where Tanaka and Nishinoya started screaming 'he's coming, he's coming!'.  Sugawara took this opportunity to turn around and start scolding the third years for their behaviour as well.</p><p>"You guys can't just fool around just because I have my back turned!  What if something happened to you?  What am I supposed to do?  I'm telling you, you're gonna get hurt and I'm gonna tell you that I told you so!  This is supposed to be a Quidditch practice, not a circus.  What would Daichi-kun say if he saw you right now?  Honestly.  Now get up and stop sulking!  I yelled at you once, this isn't a time to look so down.  Five laps around the field!"</p><p>When he told Daichi everything that happened, surprisingly Daichi looked shocked.</p><p>"They usually behave around me..." Daichi admitted softly, probably not wanting to discourage Sugawara, but Sugawara sort of understood.  Daichi has been their leader for a while, so maybe they just weren't used to Sugawara leading them around.  </p><p>Right now, Daichi and Sugawara were outside on the Astrology tower, watching the sunset, a date idea Daichi got from Kageyama.  It was a pretty sunset, sure, but the way Sugawara leaned against his shoulder, closing his eyes and smiling, the rays of light reflecting on his face, how whenever the wind blew his silver hair would fan out and Daichi could see all of his features clearly.<br/>
He could now understand why Kageyama always brought Hinata out.</p><p>"Have I told you you're really beautiful?"</p><p>It sounded so sincere, Sugawara flushed a bright pink, giggling nervously.  He had to hide his face, which was new to Daichi, grinning as he realized he had the upper hand.  Sugawara was usually the one who was so straight forward, so being able to make him embarrassed like that was definitely a nice feeling once in a while.</p><p>"Well, you are," Daichi repeated, kissing the top of Sugawara's head.  "You're beautiful and amazing.  I hope you don't forget that."</p><p> </p><p>Sugawara thought his care-giving duties were limited to only Gryffindors younger than him.  Nishinoya, Hinata - the usual.  He didn't think he would be taking care of Gryffindors his age too.</p><p>"If I take salt and mix it with sugar, then put it in water, do they cancel out each other?  Or would I get a sweet and salty mix?"</p><p>Coming from muggle backgrounds, Kuroo and Bokuto were very easy people to talk to, especially when Sugawara had something in mind he wanted to talk about but couldn't explain it to Daichi since Daichi was a pure-blood.  He was able to have fun conversations with them, and surprisingly they had a lot in common.  The shows they watched, the foods they ate, even the areas they came from weren't too far from each other.</p><p>"Dumb bitch.  The water dissolves it," Kuroo retorted, hitting the back of Bokuto's head.  "But maybe if you tried pepper and salt your theory would work," he quickly added, snickering when Bokuto actually took him seriously.</p><p>"Aren't you smart?"  Sugawara whispered to Kuroo as they watched Bokuto pouring water into a cup, using his wand to pop up some salt and pepper and mixing it together.  He watched it intensely, waiting for the pepper to dissolve while Kuroo and Sugawara watched Bokuto, waiting for him to realize that salt and pepper didn't work like that.  When Bokuto started to drink it though, Sugawara choked.</p><p>"I am," Kuroo grinned, laughing loudly when Bokuto started gagging, spitting the water out and glaring at Kuroo, stomping towards him, his hands out and ready to strangle Kuroo.  "But Bokuto makes me lose brain cells."</p><p>One thing that Sugawara enjoyed talking about with them was comics and anime, something Daichi didn't know about that well.  Apparently in the wizarding world, magic was entertaining enough that they didn't really focus on things like television or fictional books, which was absurd in Sugawara's opinion.  But Kuroo and Bokuto knew all about it, so naturally they found something else to bond over.</p><p>"Pokémon, huh?"  Kuroo looked over at Sugawara's comic from his right while Bokuto looked from his left, all three of them admiring the manga books that Sugawara had on the dining table, showing it off to them.</p><p>"Yeah, my dad sent them to me this morning," Sugawara bragged eagerly, opening up the first edition.  "You guys can borrow it if you want."  Bokuto awed at the characters, the different creatures designs, pointing out his favourite ones.</p><p>"This one's cute.  What's it called?""Uh, 'Charmander'," Sugawara read out loud, looking down at the page.  "He's a fire-type, it says.  Very Gryffindor.""What's the plot of it again?"  Kuroo asked, also looking at the other manga editions, flipping through the pages quickly, wanting to see the art styles.  Sugawara explained, how these trainers were supposed to grow their pokémons and get them to evolve and you could also catch them.  Sugawara had the first 10 books, giving the first one to Bokuto since he seemed interested in it.</p><p>"You know what this reminds me of?"  Bokuto said, both Sugawara and Kuroo looking at him.  "Cardcaptor Sakura."  They both looked at him weirdly, shaking their heads quickly, but Bokuto was quick to defend himself.</p><p>"No, listen!  You know how Sakura has to catch all the cards?  And she uses them to get stronger and practice?  But she also has to catch them and prove she can capture it, kinda like how these pokémon need to trust the trainer before catching them."<br/>
"Yeah, but in this case the pokémon are more like animals, not a card.  This is just tamagotchis on steroids," Kuroo argued back making Bokuto wave his hand in ignorance, not wanting to hear Kuroo's shit.</p><p>"So you capture it in a ball?  That's kinda weird, don't you think?"<br/>
"I'm telling you, it's like when Sakura captures her cards with her wand and it ends up with her.  She can use them whenever she wants!"  Bokuto pressed on, but Kuroo just snorted, rolling his eyes.  "Yeah, and Sakura is also going to gyms and strengthening the cards up.  She doesn't have to train her cards, it's not the same.""I never said it was the same!  I said it reminded me of it, that's two different things."</p><p>Later, Daichi asked Sugawara if he could read the comics too.</p><p>"Oh, I lent them to Bokuto.  Ask him when he's finished," Sugawara said, not thinking it was a big deal, but when he saw Daichi pouting he raised his eyebrow, looking at his face.</p><p>"Daichi-kun?  You okay?"  Daichi was turning pink, looking away and this time Sugawara couldn't tell what was wrong.  Was it because Bokuto had the comic first?</p><p>"I, uh," Daichi cleared his throat, puffing his chest out, making Sugawara step back a bit but quickly relaxed as Daichi's confident stance was mixed with embarrassment and fluster.</p><p>"I want to learn more about what you're interested in.  And-And I want you to get excited when you talk about your picture books.  So-So when you get one from your dad again, please let me read them first so we can talk about them together!"</p><p>Sugawara had to cover his mouth to hold in a laugh, not believing how cute Daichi was being.  So he was jealous?  He was probably watching Bokuto, Kuroo and Sugawara discussing pokémons over lunch today and wanted to join, but knowing Daichi if he didn't know what was going on he wouldn't be able to join the conversation so easily.  Sugawara nodded, grinning widely at Daichi.</p><p>"Of course, Daichi-kun," Sugawara promised, giving Daichi a sweet kiss on the cheek, squeezing Daichi's shoulder before leaning into Daichi's ear and whispering hotly.  "You know, Daichi-kun, I find it an extreme turn-on when you get jealous.  You should show me this side of you more often."</p><p> </p><p>Daichi was Sugawara's favourite Gryffindor though, by far.  A natural leader, social, handsome.  Sugawara still couldn't believe he pinned someone as good as him, he didn't think it would be a problem introducing him to his parents.</p><p>"Daichi-kun," Sugawara sang out sweetly, the two of them having sneaked out again, this time only to the back of the Slytherin tower so if a teacher came Sugawara could run quickly back in and defend himself.  It was always Sugawara's suggestion to sneak out, but Daichi would always agree even if it was reluctant.  </p><p>"Yeah?""What are your parents like?"  The question threw Daichi off, but Sugawara could see he was thinking about it.  It took some time, especially when you don't really think about what kind of people your parents are most of the time.  They were just your parents after all.</p><p>"Let's see...they're good parents.  They take care of me and ask me what's wrong when I look sad.  They always put me first.  They're very hard working and always get the job done," Daichi nodded, liking his answer, looking down at Sugawara.  "They're the type of parents I want to be someday."</p><p>A family with Daichi.  Obviously it was in the far future, they were still in their teens, but the thought of it was definitely something to make Sugawara excited.  Would they adopt?  Or maybe they would do some magic thing that Daichi could recommend.  Did the wizarding world have adoption centers?  Apparently they had orphanages, but Sugawara thought that if he saw all the kids there he would want to take all of them in.</p><p>"What about your parents?"  Daichi asked curiously.  "How are your parents with the magic world?"  </p><p>Sugawara hummed as he thought about it too.  It's been 5 years since he got his letter, and he remembered his parents thought that it was a prank when they first saw it.  But after various attempts of throwing it out and seeing Sugawara's popping around in weird places, like in their pillow cases and in the fire place (not burning up like paper should) they looked into it.</p><p>"They don't know much about what I do, which should be concerning," Sugawara chuckled, Daichi joining in as well.  "But I don't think they're scared of me.  They still love me and join me whenever I go back to school shopping.  So they're good parents too, in my opinion," Sugawara answered, making Daichi nod as well.  Sugawara did love his parents, and he hoped they would love Daichi as well.</p><p>"And they'd be okay with their grand kids as wizards?"</p><p>Future talk.  Sugawara blushed, starting to imagine themselves as adults, doing adult things and taking care of kids together, tired at the end of the day, seeking comfort in each others arms, complaining about work.  Would Sugawara be the one cooking dinner?  Daichi probably didn't know how to cook with muggle methods, so maybe Sugawara would have to do it in the end.</p><p>"I think so," Sugawara smiled up at him, leaning up to kiss Daichi's jaw.  "Either way, as long as we love them, right?"  Daichi hummed and nodded, leaning his head on top of Sugawara's as they looked up at the sky, no clouds filling up the blue scene, just the two of them sitting on the grass together.</p><p> </p><p>"Daichi-san!!"</p><p>Sugawara flinched when he heard Hinata screaming in the distance, turning around to see not only Hinata, but Kageyama as well, storming towards their direction.  Kageyama was holding ripped up pieces of paper in his hand.  Sugawara furrowed his eyebrows at them as they finally made it up to them, Hinata pointing at Kageyama accusingly.</p><p>"Kageyama ripped up our project!  He ruined it!""I didn't ruin it!  It was shit anyway."  Hinata gasped in offence, gritting his teeth and glaring at Kageyama.  "Are you serious?  At least I did something!  What did you even do?  You were just sitting there, watching me the whole time!"</p><p>Sugawara was about to say something, but Daichi was already standing up, sighing loudly as he went up to them, holding his hand out to take the papers, which Kageyama hesitantly put in his hand.  Daichi shook his head as he looked at the ripped up pieces, tsking at them.</p><p>"Kageyama, why would you do this?""It was dumb anway!  Hinata-boke was putting inaccurate information."  Hinata screamed, clenching his fists at Kageyama.  Sometimes, Daichi wasn't too sure if they were actually dating, or if it was just a joke to them.</p><p>"If a dragon and a unicorn battled, the unicorn would win.  It's able to bring the dead back to life!"<br/>
"But a unicorn could literally <em>sit </em>on it and crush it in two seconds.  It doesn't matter what the unicorn could do, it's about strength!"  Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head again.</p><p>"You guys can't keep arguing like this.  If you can't agree, then get a new partner," Daichi scolded them, making both of them gasp, shaking their heads in protest right away, obviously not wanting to switch partners.</p><p>"Then you guys have to get along," Daichi continued on.  Sugawara was starting to understand a bit why the Quidditch team always took Daichi seriously and behaved around them, because he had this aura to him that screamed 'I Am In Charge Here'.  Hinata and Kageyama lowered their heads, looking like children who were in trouble, the scene almost made Sugawara laugh.</p><p>"Now apologize to each other."</p><p>Kageyama scowled and Hinata pursed his lips, the two of them unable to look at each other, but they mumbled a 'sorry' under their breath.  Daichi flicked both of their foreheads before rubbing their heads, making both of them groan.</p><p>"Apologize properly!"<br/>
"I-I'm sorry!"<br/>
"I'm sorry too!"</p><p>Daichi nodded in approval, giving Kageyama back the papers.  "Make sure you put that back together.  If you two aren't going to work together properly, then it's not worth the outcome.  You have to learn good team work, okay?"  Hinata and Kageyama both nodded.  "Good.  I'll help you on your project after, so wait for me, alright?"  Hinata and Kageyama nodded again, turning around and starting to walk back into the school, their walking turning into running, racing each other.</p><p>Daichi sighed as he watched the two, unsure why they spent so much time together if this really was how they acted like all the time.  He turned back around, but Sugawara was already standing up, going over to Daichi and wrapping his arms around Daichi.</p><p>"Not bad, Daichi-kun.  Guess you're taking this parenting thing to another level." Sugawara teased, making Daichi blush, groaning softly.  "I just," Daichi shrugged, Sugawara cocking his head and waiting for Daichi to continue.</p><p>"You know, they're already away from their parents 10 months a year.  They need at least a little bit of guidance, and I don't mind taking the responsibility  They're good kids, really.  After you've settled them down, even Noya-kun and Tanaka, they're not as rowdy as you think-" Sugawara cut Daichi off with a kiss, Daichi humming in response, and kissing him back, putting his hands on Sugawara's waist.  After a minute or so, Sugawara pulled away, smirking up at Daichi, pecking his lips one more time.</p><p>"Daichi-kun, you know at this rate, I think I'll start calling you daddy real soon."</p><p> </p>
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